Daimler Trucks North America has delivered the first vehicle in its Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleet – a Freightliner eM2 – to Penske Truck Leasing.

Next year, Penske will put an additional 9 medium-duty electric eM2 trucks and 10 heavy-duty eCascadia electric trucks into service in California and the Pacific Northwest. Penske will place the EVs within its logistics, truck leasing and truck rental fleets.

The Freightliner eM2 truck is designed for local distribution, pickup and delivery, and last-mile logistics applications. The Freightliner eCascadia is a Class 8 tractor designed for local and regional distribution and drayage. Both trucks will enter production in 2021. The Freightliner eCascadia and eM2 are part of Daimler Trucks’ global electrified truck initiative, joining the company’s Thomas Built Buses all-electric Saf-T-Liner eC2 school bus, the FUSO eCanter, and the Mercedes-Benz eActros.

Daimler’s Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleet is partially funded with a nearly $16-million grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), as well as contributions from the EPA and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Earlier this year, Daimler Trucks formed the Freightliner Electric Vehicle Council, composed of 30 customers with strong use cases for electric trucks, including Penske Truck Leasing. Members of the customer council benefit from co-development of deployment strategies for EVs, including applicable use cases, current legislation and requirements for facilities, charging infrastructure and service support.

As the first step in its infrastructure deployment, Penske Truck Leasing will install 20 high-power charging stations across five of its California locations starting this month.

“With increased hauling demands and regulatory pressures, it is more important than ever that Daimler Trucks continues to rigorously test and research electric vehicle solutions together with our customers,” said Daimler Trucks CEO Roger Nielsen.

Source: Daimler