Daimler has revealed renewed energy as the electric automobile race continues. The German automaker has introduced two all-electric trucks to counter the Tesla Semi.
The eCascadia and eM2 are designed specifically for the North American market.
The two trucks, eCascadia and eM2 come under the Freightliner brand, and mark the entry point of Daimler into the heavy and medium duty, all-electric semi-trucks market. According to the auto giants, the production of the duos will kick off this year, for the first units as mass production begins by 2021.
Daimler announced that the two trucks come under a consolidation of their expertise in the commercial electric automobile with E-Mobility Group (EMG). The alliance will see E-Mobility Group define Daimler’s electric components strategy, as well as complete their electric vehicles.
eCascadia and eM2 are products of the latest E-Mobility Group’s strategy. The eCascadia is the electric version of the Cascadia’s Heavy duty semi, with an electric battery. Daimler says that the electric battery powertrain produces 730hp via a 550kwh battery.
Once the battery is fully charged, the truck can go up to 250 miles, and it can recharge up to 80% in one and half hours. The Freightliner eCascadia can carry a load as heavy as 15 tons and above.
Freightliner eM2 106 is a medium duty, all-electric semi. Its battery produces 480 horsepower via 325-kilowatt hour battery and can run up to 230 miles once it is fully charged. The battery can recharge up to 80% in one hour.
Daimler designed this particular truck with the local distributors in their mind, and according to analysts, this could be the selling point of the eM2 106.
The Mercedes Benz mother company, which is also the largest truck maker worldwide has made such a significant step by introducing the first all-electric products. Daimler takes 40% of the American lorry market, which is approximately 30 billion pounds.
Both Daimler and Freightliner said that they’ve designed the 18-wheeler eCascadia and eM2 106 semis specifically for the North American market, mainly due to the semi design of the region.
Daimler is planning to put only 30 units into production this, and commence the mass production in 2021, two years after Tesla’s semi hits the market.
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