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Daimler's first large electric semi trucks are ready to roll
Daimler has spent ages talking about electrifying its trucks, and now it's ready to deliver in a very literal way. The automaker has completed the first two units of its heavy-duty Freightliner eCascadia semis destined for customers. They're not final production models -- they're still part of Freightliner's testing-oriented Innovation Fleet -- but they should see real-world use by Penske and NFI later in August. More deliveries are due in 2019.
Penske debuts fast charging stations for electric delivery trucks
Today, Penske Truck Leasing opened 14 DC fast charging stations at four facilities in Southern California. According to the company, they're the first high-speed charging stations specifically designed for heavy duty, commercial electric vehicles in the US. And they'll be used to charge semi trucks, like the Daimler Freightliners that Penske has been testing.
In the cab with Daimler’s level 2 semi-truck
When Daimler announced that its Freightliner new Cascadia would be the first class 8 truck to get level 2 driver's assistance (adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist), I was confused. It seemed insane that the vehicles that deliver our goods didn't have the same technology found in many new passenger cars. After riding in the cab of one of the new trucks, it's apparent that this technology is long overdue and sure to help drivers.
Behind the wheel of Daimler’s upcoming electric trucks
Daimler has been very vocal that it's moving to electrify its trucks. From short- to medium-haul delivery vehicles to school buses, the company is making no bones that its future lies in EVs.
Daimler wants self-driving trucks on the roads in ten years
Level four autonomy is the dream of many automakers. A vehicle that drives itself without any driver interaction but has a steering wheel and pedals so that when the human in the car is ready to take control, they can. Daimler wants to put that technology in semi trucks within the next 10 years.
Daimler is testing electric delivery trucks on the west coast
At an event in Southern California today, Daimler Trucks of North America (DTNA) handed the keys to a Freightliner eM2 electric delivery truck to Penske Truck Leasing. The vehicle has been in development for a few years, but in the past nine months, the two companies have worked together to create something that fits nicely into Penske's business.
The future of Daimler trucking is electrified and autonomous
If a company isn't talking about the transformation of transportation there's a good chance it might get caught flat-footed when cars start driving themselves loaded with battery packs. Mostly these conversations center around passenger vehicles, but trucks could do with some cleaning up, too, and one of the companies on the forefront of that is Daimler.
The first self-driving big rig licensed to operate in the US
A Daimler-built autonomous truck can now legally operate on the highways of Nevada. Gov. Brian Sandoval has officially granted the "Freightliner Inspiration Truck" a license for road use in the state, making it the first of its kind to navigate public roads in the US. The Inspiration's "Highway Pilot system" is loaded with cameras, radars, other sensors and computer hardware like most autonomous vehicles. However, it's not completely self-driving -- it still needs a human driver behind the wheel.
Futuristic 'SuperTruck' doubles the MPG of other semis
The EPA estimates that motor vehicles contribute about half of America's smog-forming volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxide emissions every year. And given that the average fuel efficiency of your average 18-wheeler only hits about 6 miles per gallon, these big rigs can be big polluters too. But this new prototype from Daimler Trucks North America, built as part of the US Department of Transportation's SuperTruck Challenge, sips just half as much gas.
