The Innovation Fleet is a 30-vehicle fleet of battery electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks testing integration of the technology into large-scale commercial transportation operations.
Freightliner has announced that its ‘Innovation Fleet’ comprising of 10 eM2s and 20 eCascadia battery-electric trucks has accumulated more than 300,000 miles in real-world use by customers. The fleet programme was announced in 2018, with the vehicle delivered to in the following year to 14 customers who operated the trucks on rotational basis. The planned start of series production for the Freightliner eCascadia is mid-2022, and the planned start of series production for the Freightliner eM2 is late 2022.
The Freightliner Innovation Fleet is supported by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) which focuses on improving air quality in the South Coast Basin of Southern California and partially funded the project. The fleet includes 10 eM2s and 20 eCascadias testing in a variety of applications, including drayage, regional and local delivery, food distribution, and parcel delivery.
“Co-creation with our customers is a cornerstone of Freightliner’s unique approach to the market. The knowledge and expertise our logistics customers have in fleet operations with their thousands of trucks is invaluable as we design and engineer the zero emissions future of the commercial vehicle. Crossing the threshold of 300,000 miles of testing, then one million miles, then more – together – before we begin series production of battery electric trucks will ensure we deliver the performance and reliability our customers count on and which has made Freightliner the undisputed leader in commercial trucks”
Richard Howard, senior vice president, On-highway sales and marketing Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA)
The 300,000 local emissions-free miles logged by the fleet represent the equivalent mileage to complete 5660 one-way trips between the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to the warehousing centers of California’s Inland Empire; 2500 trips to complete the average local distribution run; 41 trips to travel to all 10 DTNA parts distribution centers located in North America; and ultimately 12 trips to circle the globe!
