THE EIGHT HUNDRED!

In-depth

1 June

Every time I write a story about trucks and electricity I get more than one brickbat thrown at me. And that’s just fine. No-one’s threatened harm to me or my family as yet so I’ll keep on putting them up.

Besides, I’d reckon that at $2.20 litre there’d be more than a few who wished it was here now. For those who put shit on the very idea, cop this: Sysco Corporation in the USA have just ordered 800 electric Freightliner Cascadia’s. That’s not a typo. Eight Hundred! That has to be a world record in electric truck sales. And we’re not talking about Fuso sized electric trucks. These are the BIG BANGERS!

Cisco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home.

With more than 58,000 associates, the company operates 343 distribution facilities worldwide and serves more than 650,000 customer locations. The last financial year the company generated sales of more than $51 billion US.

THE NEW BATTERY ELECTRIC FREIGHTLINER eCASCADIA

Since its debut in 2007, over 800,000 Freightliner Cascadias class 8 trucks have been sold, making them the clear industry leader. Now, the new eCascadia provides Freightliner customers with a zero-emissions version of the industry-leading Cascadia. Built off a legendary and proven product, the eCascadia’s extensive development and rigorous testing through several prototypes and customer test trucks has resulted in a powerful efficient electric truck.

On May 9 Freightliner Trucks unveiled the new eCascadia at ACT Expo in Long Beach, CA. Freightliner eCascadia provides customers with a zero-emission version of the industry-leading Cascadia and debuts its innovative safety and connectivity features.

Providing a typical range of 230 miles (depending on vehicle configurations) the eCascadia is ideally suited for short-haul routes that allow for depot-based charging, examples of which include last mile logistics, local and regional distribution, drayage and warehouse to warehouse applications.

320-470 hp
Typical range of 370 Km
Multiple battery options and maximum capacity of almost 440 kWh2
Recharge of 80 percent in approximately 90 minutes
Up to 37 tons max GCW (Gross Combination Weight)
Available with single or tandem eAxle
116” day cab configuration

POWERED BY IN-HOUSE DEVELOPED DETROIT ePOWERTRAIN

Showing that old dogs can learn new tricks, Detroit – the manufacturer of so many great sounding diesel engines – is the name behind the ePowertrain for the eCascadia.

The eAxle is an electric drivetrain component integrated with an electric motor, transmission and specialized electronics within a compact unit. Detroit’s ePowertrain provides two eAxle designs including a dual motor with 395hp and 31,183 Nm or a single motor with 195hp and 15,591 Nm. Remember that torque is all available from the get-go.

There’s also three battery options for a range of sizes from 194 to 438 kWh and average, zero-to-full charging times ranging from 90 minutes to 6 hours. Critically, Detroit’s Li-Ion batteries enable the eCascadia to meet critical range targets without sacrificing payload.

Innovative Detroit Connect eServices for an efficient and productive electric fleet

Connectivity plays a critical role in successful freight operations. Innovative Detroit Connect eServices have been exclusively developed for eCascadia and offer features that allow for maximum uptime, productivity, and profitability.

An in-house developed Charger Management System (CMS) is integrated directly into the Detroit Connect portal and can strategically save fleets money by leveraging demand-response incentives from local utilities. The eRange prediction tool automatically and accurately calculates and displays range over the course of a proposed trip analysing multiple data inputs including vehicle parameters, load, weather, traffic, and road gradient to give the most accurate indication possible.

Initial release of the CMS solution will occur in Q4 of 2022. Additional CMS features will be introduced in 2023.

Detroit Assurance suite of safety systems for electric trucks

The Freightliner eCascadia comes standard with Detroit Assurance with Active Brake Assist 5 (ABA 5), setting the benchmark for advanced safety for heavy-duty electric commercial vehicles.

Active Side Guard Assist (ASGA): This industry-first technology engages at urban speeds (12 mph or less) to mitigate the truck from making a right hand turn (would be left here in Oz) when a moving cyclist or pedestrian is detected on the passenger side of the truck. This first-of-its-kind technology will help to protect pedestrians on the road.

Active Lane Assist (ALA): The eCascadia will also be the first version of the Cascadia to come standard with Active Lane Assist (ALA). As another first-of-its-kind safety feature it combines Level 2 automated driving with a suite of driver comfort features. (This technology is now available in Australia on the Mercedes-Benz Actros)

Additional standard features include Brake Hold Mode, Adaptive Cruise Control to 0 MPH, Intelligent High Beams, Automatic Wipers/Headlamps, Tailgate Warning, and Lane Departure Warning. Optional features include Forward-Facing Video Capture, which utilizes front-facing HD camera to record the truck’s activity on the road.

Detroit eConsulting and eFill chargers for seamless transition to electric

Detroit eConsulting is a customer-solution with the goal of making electrification for fleets approachable. The team has worked with nearly 40 Freightliner customers in the last several years.

Additionally, the Detroit eFill line of electric commercial vehicle chargers provide an array of commercial charger options for customers and charging station operators designed for seamless integration with the Detroit ePowertrain. The first Detroit eFill chargers were deployed across California earlier this year by California Truck Centres.

The flagship truck, the Freightliner eCascadia, together with the Freightliner eM2, has already covered more than one million miles in testing on public roads while in customer hands. Start of series production and customer deliveries begins this year.

One thing is clear: Daimler Truck is aware of the important role transportation plays in helping to reach necessary emission reduction goals. They have not only developed electric vehicle products, but also made significant investments in infrastructure consulting, charging services and public charging infrastructure to strive for a more sustainable future.

New grille design for aerodynamic improvements

Because the Detroit ePowertrain produces less heat than a traditional combustion engine, this allows the eCascadia to come standard with closed hood vents and a new grille, which reduces drag through forcing more air around the vehicle as opposed to pulling it through the radiator.

Additional aero improvements are available in the Aero-X package, standard on the 6x4 model, which includes front wheel well closeouts, air skirts under the high voltage battery impact protection panels, quarter fenders with aero spoilers, and drive wheel fairings.

Designed for driver comfort

One of the most consistent pieces of feedback provided by customer drivers piloting pre-series production models is that the eCascadia offers exceptional driver comfort due to the elimination of engine noise and vibration inside the cab, the torque response in the driver seat and instant torque characteristic that allows smoother operation during high traffic conditions.

The eCascadia’s interior includes an ergonomic and modern wraparound dash, featuring a two-screen LCD digital display that provides the driver with customizable access to vehicle status information on the A-panel screen, and an infotainment B-panel screen featuring multimedia connections. These screens have been lifted from the Actros and that is no bad thing.

The eRange prediction tool automatically and accurately calculates and displays range over the course of a proposed trip. To give the most accurate indication possible, the tool analyses multiple data inputs including vehicle parameters, load, weather, traffic, and road gradient. eRange Prediction allows for testing of “what-if” scenarios and performs analysis.

Battery health monitoring tracks and gives visibility into the eCascadia battery’s state-of-health percentage, state-of-charge percentage, remaining range miles, and charging status.

Post-trip analysis gives actionable information to improve the eCascadia’s performance, utilization, and driver training.

Addressing urgent need for charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles

Lack of a publicly available, nationwide electric charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles, especially those used for long-haul freight operations, remains one of the biggest barriers for widespread deployment of electric trucks.

Therefore, Daimler laid the foundation together with NextEra Energy Resources, LLC and BlackRock Renewable Power (BlackRock) at the beginning of the year for a future joint venture to design, develop, install and operate a nationwide, high-performance charging network for medium- and heavy-duty battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the U.S. Initial funding is expected to be comprised of approximately $650 million divided equally among the three parties.

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So there it is. Some will love it and others hate. Hey that’s democracy. But if you dislike the whole idea, there’s surely one thing we can all agree on: They are great photos.