Battery provider Octillion Power Systems will collaborate with Colorado-based Lightning Systems to produce Class 6 electric trucks (up to 12.5 tons) aimed at “middle-mile” delivery routes between warehouses and distribution centers.

Lightning’s fuel cell-powered Class 6 truck offered by Plug Power will be available in the third quarter of 2020. Lightning’s all-electric version of the truck is also powered by Octillion’s batteries, which are offered in configurations of 96, 128, 160 and 192 kWh.

Octillion has customized its battery offerings to address the medium-duty truck segment. The company believes this will prove to be the “sweet spot” in electric trucking—the segment with the greatest potential to reduce fleet operating costs and improve sustainability.   

“Mid-range trucks make an ideal target for electrification because they are heavily used for intracity deliveries with dedicated routes, and return daily to depots with shared infrastructures that can readily accommodate overnight dwell times for charging,” said Octillion President Paul Beach. “Recent studies have found that the return on investment for electric Classes 3-6 trucks in urban settings makes them an ideal option for sustainable freight hauls in the less-than-100-mile range.”

Octillion is also supplying batteries for Lightning’s new mobile battery charger, which can be rapidly deployed to provide fast roadside charging for fleet vehicles. The mobile charger is equipped with 192 kWh of liquid-cooled DC battery storage in a package designed to be installed in a vehicle or trailer for mobile deployment. Lightning Mobile gives fleets the capability to provide a “power rescue” vehicle that offers roadside charging and is also able to recharge EVs on their routes.

Source: Octillion