According to a recent press release, Daimler Truck is set to integrate its autonomous trucking innovations with its electric truck expertise, unveiling its very first battery-electric autonomous truck. Utilizing the Freightliner eCascadia as the foundational platform, the company plans to overlay autonomous capabilities. With a target of launching commercially viable autonomous vehicles by 2027. According to Daimler, the initiative promises not only a zero-emission heavy-duty truck but will also bring enhanced safety features.
“By combining zero-emission and autonomous technologies in one product, we are testing solutions for challenges our customers are likely to face in the future. We want to give them choices that allow them to do what they do best: keep the world moving today and well into the future. That takes a lot of foresight, questioning, testing, learning, improving, and co-creating with our customers years in advance to ultimately find the right solution. This truck is a great example of the beginning of that development process.”
As mentioned earlier, the truck will be based on the battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia, the truck integrates Torc's autonomous driving software alongside cutting-edge Level 4 sensor and computing technology, paving the way for eventual Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities. Torc Robotics, Daimler Truck’s independent subsidiary specializing in autonomous virtual driver technology, spearheads this endeavor. Although currently in the realm of research and advanced engineering, Daimler Truck says the autonomous vehicle holds promise as a modular, scalable platform adaptable to various trucking applications, regardless if it's battery-powered or diesel-powered.
The showcased truck will feature a 6x4 day cab configuration equipped with Detroit tandem e-axles and boasting a 438 kWh battery capacity. Generating 425 hp, it will possess a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 37,195 kg and a payload capacity of approximately 19,504 kg, affording it a range of around 368 km. Charging from zero to 80 percent can be achieved within 2.5 hours utilizing a single port, or in about 1.5 hours with dual ports. Alongside advancing autonomous driving technology through its subsidiary Torc Robotics, DTNA (Daimler Trucks North America) is collaborating with Waymo, an American autonomous driving technology company famous for its robotaxis.
Daimler aims to achieve decarbonization within its primary markets by 2039. If Daimler Truck’s plans go smoothly, this truck will be our first glimpse into the fully autonomous electric truck of the future.
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