Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) announced a new Battery-Electric Vehicle (BEV) Dealer Certification Program, building on the foundations of its existing Elite Support program, a certified network of Freightliner dealers that the company describes as committed to delivering superior customer experience throughout all areas of dealership operations.
With the heavy-duty Freightliner eCascadia and medium-duty Freightliner eM2, DTNA says it has already deployed battery-electric trucks in more than 50 fleets across the country, logging more than four million customer battery-electric miles.
“After several months of collaboration between DTNA and the Freightliner Dealer Council Principals, representing over 40% of all dealer locations in the USA and Canada, we are pleased to introduce and support the BEV Dealer Certification Program that will become the model for our entire industry at providing a safe and world-class customer experience for our battery-electric truck customers,” states John Hopkins, co-chair of the Freightliner Dealer Council.
DTNA tells us the in-depth BEV Dealer Certification program covers all areas required to help customers navigate the shift toward emissions-free driving, including e-consulting and spec’ing and maintaining electric trucks. Additionally, Freightliner’s dealer network is investing substantially to meet the requirements of the BEV Dealer Certification Program, which covers more than 75 criteria in four key areas:
Safety
- Comprehensive safety policy and training, nominating a frontline contact person, and being fully equipped with high-voltage safety-specific equipment.
Charging Infrastructure
- Commercial vehicle charging infrastructure including stationary or mobile charging solutions; and
- Baseline competency to enable infrastructure and vehicle deployment readiness activities backed by the expert-level support of the Detroit e-consulting team.
Dealership Infrastructure
- Dedicated BEV service bays, battery storage space and key parts stocking, plus installation of safety signage.
Training
- BEV training and resources for the dealership personnel covering all aspects of the dealership business; sales, service and parts.
“Having our dealer network BEV certified benefits the market as a whole. For customers owning or purchasing an electric vehicle in the near term, it is likely their first experience with electrification in the heavy-duty truck space. We see it as our responsibility to support them on their journey,” states Drew Backeberg, senior vice president of aftermarket at DTNA. “For wider market adoption, we need experts and safety leaders and we want to ensure that our dealer network sets the standard high through our new BEV Dealer Certification Program.”
Eight dealerships already completed the certification and DTNA says that number will double in the coming weeks. The OEM’s plan is to have 100 dealer locations certified by 2025.
