Schneider, a US provider of transportation, intermodal and logistics services, will soon start taking delivery of nearly 100 Class 8 battery-electric semi-trucks at its intermodal operations in Southern California.
The Wisconsin-based company is awaiting delivery of 92 Freightliner eCascadia electric trucks, after it increased its previously reported order of 62 BEVs by 30 units. Schneider's first Freightliner eCascadia is ready to roll off the assembly line at the Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) plant in Portland, Oregon.
When the 92 eCascadia semi-trucks will be delivered, Schneider will have one of the largest electric fleets in North America, marking a critical step in the company's efforts to use zero-emission vehicles into its truck fleet.
"The integration of nearly 100 zero-emission vehicles is an important milestone for Schneider as we are moving beyond the battery-electric truck testing phase to running an operation at scale. In combination with rail movement, we can offer our intermodal customers meaningful emissions reduction value by utilizing BEV dray trucks.”
Schneider President and CEO Mark Rourke
Gallery: Freightliner eCascadia production version
Schneider aims to reduce CO2 per-mile emissions by 7.5 percent by 2025 and 60 percent by 2035. The company says it has already achieved more than half of its 2025 goal by reducing per-mile emissions by 5 percent, with battery-electric trucks to help further meet these sustainability goals.
According to Schneider, the new Freightliner eCascadias have the potential to avoid over 81,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per day. That is equivalent to removing 2,400 gas-powered cars from the road over the course of a year, Schneider claims.
Schneider is already familiar with electric vehicle technology, having piloted an eCascadia for six months through Freightliner's Customer Experience fleet. The company says the drivers who tested the electric semi-truck reported really enjoying driving it.
The production version of the Freightliner eCascadia debuted earlier this year with three battery options offering a range of up to 230 miles in Single drive configuration at 65,000 pounds Gross Combination Weight (GCW) or 220 miles in Tandem drive configuration at at 82,000 pounds GCW.
The three Detroit HV Battery options include a 195-kWh pack with charging times to 80% and 100% of 1.5 and 3 hours, respectively, 291 kWh (2-4 hours) and 438 kWh (2-6 hours). The packs utilize Li-Ion NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) battery chemistry packed inside of CATL prismatic cells.
