Daimler and Gehring partner to develop motors commercial EVs


Daimler Truck and precision machining company Gehring Technologies have signed a strategic partnership agreement to work together on process development for—and prototype construction of—electric motors for commercial vehicles, to set up R&D facilities, and to open a joint technical center at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Gaggenau, Germany. Daimler Truck says it will open InnoLabs for… Read more »

California project deploys 100 electric regional haul and drayage trucks


Regional haul and drayage trucks, which transfer loads to and from ports, warehouses and logistics hubs, are a perfect use case for EVs, and present opportunities for dramatic emissions reductions. The South Coast Air Quality Management District, along with other state agencies, has announced a project to deploy 100 battery-electric regional haul and drayage trucks… Read more »

Daimler, Traton and Volvo to build a European charging network for heavy-duty trucks


Three of Europe’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturers—Daimler Truck, the Volvo Group, and the Traton Group (owner of the Scania, MAN and Navistar brands)—have signed a non-binding agreement to build a public charging network for battery-electric heavy-duty long-haul trucks and coaches across Europe. The agreement lays the foundation of a future joint venture, which is to… Read more »

Thomas Built Buses delivers 50th Proterra Powered electric school bus


Thomas Built Buses (TBB), a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America, vehicle dealer Sonny Merryman and commercial EV manufacturer Proterra recently celebrated the delivery of the 50th Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley battery-electric school bus. The milestone delivery went to Loudon County Public Schools in Virginia as part of Dominion Energy’s Electric School Bus Initiative. TBB and… Read more »

Swiss city of Basel orders 62 electric buses from Mercedes and Hess


The city of Basel, located on the Rhine at the confluence of Switzerland, Germany and France, plans to fully electrify its bus routes, and power them with 100% renewable energy, by 2027. Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB)’s fleet currently includes 115 buses serving 14 routes (there are also 135 trams serving 9 lines). The city’s latest tender… Read more »

Daimler, BMW, bp join to invest in EV charging venture


The BMW Group, Daimler Mobility and bp will each acquire a 33.3% stake in Digital Charging Solutions (DCS), a European developer of digital charging solutions for auto manufacturers and fleet operators. DCS works with OEMs to integrate its charging solutions into vehicle operating systems. The company currently operates charging services for BMW and Daimler, including… Read more »

Heavy-duty electric trucks start to appear in fleets


Charged has been reporting on electric trucks for a decade, but the electrification of real-world fleets has been frustratingly slow, and several would-be e-truck builders have gone bust waiting for fleet operators to conduct years-long pilots. Now we’re finally starting to see some large orders. Will 2021 be the year of the electric truck? A… Read more »

Daimler and PGE develop the electric truck stop of the future


The Electric Island project, a collaboration between Daimler Trucks North America and Portland General Electric, will be a test bed for all kinds of heavy-duty EV charging solutions. Electric trucks are finally starting to roll. After years of vehicle development, research projects and pilot deployments, major fleet operators around the world are beginning to place… Read more »

Freightliner electric trucks to use proprietary Detroit ePowertrain


Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) has announced that its proprietary Detroit ePowertrain will power the upcoming Freightliner eCascadia and Freightliner eM2, as part of Daimler Trucks’ strategy to establish a uniform basic architecture for its global line-up of battery-electric vehicles. Daimler also announced plans to invest $20 million in its subsidiary Detroit’s manufacturing facility located… Read more »

Daimler announces massive new investments in EVs, plus a fund to protect workers


German auto giant Daimler has announced a new plan to invest €70 billion ($85 billion) in “research and development and in property, plant and equipment” between 2021 and 2025, the lion’s share of which will be used “to accelerate the transformation towards electrification and digitization.” Most of this investment will be at Mercedes-Benz Cars, but… Read more »