Anyone who has driven the highways in their part of the country has seen semi-trucks out delivering goods and other items. The semi-trucks you see on the roads today are powered by massive diesel engines able to run for a million miles or more. With the federal mandates attempting to push people from traditional combustion-engine vehicles to EVs, the same pressure is being felt by manufacturers of large heavy-duty trucks and large fleet owners. Several of the largest manufacturers in the semi-truck market are hard at work on electric vehicles and other zero missions technologies for the future, and here are some of their trucks.
When it comes to electric cars for the masses, Tesla is the undisputed leader of the industry at this time. While Tesla is mostly known for its fully electric cars and SUVs, it’s also working on the Tesla Semi, a fully electric semi-truck for hauling loads. While this truck has been delayed multiple times, it will eventually come to market, and it promises an electric driving range of 300 or 500 miles depending on the version chosen. Tesla has promised that the vehicle will consume less than 2 kWh of electricity per mile driven.
The Tesla Semi has an expected base price of $150,000 for the version with 300 miles of driving range and an expected base price of $180,000 for the 500-mile range version. While those prices sound very high, they are right in the normal range of diesel-powered semi MSRPs today. A brand-new diesel-powered semi from any manufacturer will be over $150,000, with some specialized trucks costing more than twice that.
Usable energy capacity is up to 475 kWh, and perhaps most importantly, the eCascadia can charge to 80 percent capacity in 90 minutes. A typical semi-truck being used for local or over-the-road applications can be driven by a single driver for up to 11 hours and can travel hundreds of miles during that time. Fast recharging is critical to the success of electric big rigs. Freightliner doesn’t mention pricing on the eCascadia, but an average cost for a normal Cascadia today is around $165,000.
Another manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks for a variety of purposes is International. International hasn’t given a specific name for its electric trucks, but they all fall under its NEXT eMobility Solutions umbrella. What we know about International’s project is that its electric vehicle will have a 645 horsepower peak and 402 horsepower continuous. Peak torque will be 2102 foot-pounds with continuous torque at 1549 foot-pounds.
International offers three different battery capacity options, including eMV Base with 107 kWh, eMV Mid with 214 kWh, and eMV Max with 321 kWh. The company does point out that the eMV Max version is only applicable for certain chassis specifications. Much about International’s electric offerings is a mystery at this point.
