Penske adds two heavy duty EVs to fleet

Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) has delivered two battery electric production model Freightliner eCascadia semi-trucks to Penske Truck Leasing.

The delivery of these heavy-duty electric vehicles is a significant milestone for both companies and marks the culmination of collaboration on design, refinement and field-testing that kicked off nearly five years ago.

“Interest in electric vehicles continues to grow as our customers seek to further reduce emissions,” said Paul Rosa, senior vice president of procurement and fleet planning at Penske.

“We’re committed to providing our customers with the latest vehicle technologies to help them achieve their sustainability goals. We anticipate adding more electric vehicles across our fleet for full-service leasing, rental, and for use within our logistics business. We commend DTNA for their collaborative approach in bringing these innovative vehicles to market.”

The eCascadia was unveiled in May 2022 at ACT Expo in Long Beach, CA.

The 100 percent battery electric truck has multiple battery and drive axle options, with a typical range of 370 km (depending on vehicle configurations). Multiple battery options provide a maximum capacity of almost 440 kWh.

This makes it suitable  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. It can recharge to 80 percent in 90 minutes.

The 320-470 hp trucks has up to 82,000 lbs max GCW (Gross Combination Weight) and is available with single or tandem eAxle.

Penske has been an early adopter of battery electric commercial vehicles and has invested in testing, maintaining, and building out charging infrastructure to support these vehicles. The company has been testing in real-world conditions across its leasing, rental, and logistics fleets in a variety of industries including retail, manufacturing, grocery, quick-service restaurant chains, medical, and many others.

“Penske is a true pioneer in bringing advanced technologies to the road,” said David Carson, senior vice president sales and marketing, DTNA.

“As a long-term, trusted partner in our electrification journey, Penske played an integral role in shaping the eCascadia to what is now available to all customers and making our highways a safer and cleaner place for us and generations to come.”

Since 2018, Penske Truck Leasing and DTNA have collaborated on testing and introducing electric vehicles to customers including the Freightliner eM2 and eCascadia models.

Along the way, the companies have marked many notable milestones including two recent efforts to be the first companies ever to use the electric trucks to haul high-performance race cars in both the NASCAR and IndyCar racing series.