Southern California Edison (SCE), the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California, recently used a Freightliner eCascadia to deliver an electrical transformer to one of Schneider‘s trucking terminals in Los Angeles. The transformer will be used to supply power to electric vehicles and support Schneider’s deployment of battery-electric trucks, like the Freightliner eCascadia.
SCE and Schneider are both participants in the Freightliner Customer Experience (CX) Fleet, operating battery-electric Class 8 eCascadias to inform future purchasing plans and provide feedback to Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) as the company readies to launch the production version in 2022.
Schneider says its plans for the eCascadia include use in local and regional delivery and pick up. Through the course of operation, Schneider will analyze the best type of load, freight characteristics and areas of operation for the vehicle’s range, charging requirements to help maximize duty cycle, and assess additional facility modifications needed to accommodate electric trucks.
SCE is the first utility to test an electric truck from Freightliner and began using the eCascadia in November of 2020 for material transport, and moving heavy equipment like transformers, wire reels and switch gears.
Freightliner’s CX Fleet is partially supported by a partnership between DTNA and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) which focuses on improving air quality in large portions of Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including the Coachella Valley.
Hear more about the Freightliner CX Fleet in our recent podcast.
