Freightliner electric trucks have officially made their real-life debut. The first batch of the Freightliner eM2 trucks has been delivered to the buyer, and you may soon start seeing them on the roads here. The eM2 is Daimler-owned company’s first zero-emissions medium-duty truck and the first lot of 30 e-trucks has been handed over to Penske Truck Leasing Corporation in Los Angeles.

About The Freightliner Trucks

Freightliner is selling the eM2 as a medium-duty truck (6 to 12 tonnes/13,227-26,445 lbs). It is supposed to be used for local distribution and last-mile delivery services mainly. The truck’s electric motor offers 480 horses of power, and the battery pack offers up to 230 miles on a single charge. Word has it that those 325-kWh batteries take about 60 minutes to charge up to 80-percent.

The first buyer, Penske Truck Leasing Corporation, will operate the electric trucks for local distribution in the Northwest Pacific and California. The company has placed an order for another 20 Freightliner trucks; 10 of which are the medium-duty eM2s and the other 10 being heavy-duty eCascadias, although those are still a few years away from being deliver ready.

What They Had To Say

Martin Daum, Daimler Board Member responsible for Trucks and Buses, said, “We aim to be front-runners with electric trucks just as we are with conventional trucks – and we deliver on this objective once again. With the hand-over of our Freightliner eM2 to Penske Truck Leasing Corporation, we now test electric trucks in all segments in day-to-day operations with our clients worldwide”.

According to Daimler Trucks, Freightliner is the first company worldwide to have begun testing electric trucks of all segments in collaboration with clients. Freightliner estimates it will begin series production of the eM2 and eCascadia trucks in 2021.

Our Take

Spec-wise, the Freightliner medium-duty truck seems to be on-point. But with a flurry of trucks set to invade the market, will this be enough? Also, Daimler has clearly mentioned that this is a trial period for the brand. Let’s see how well Freightliner's trucks can fare in the U.S. market.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Tesla Semi.

Read our full review on the 2015 Freightliner Inspiration Truck.