Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) commenced series production of the Freightliner eM2, its battery electric medium-duty truck designed for pick-up and delivery applications. DTNA said these vehicles are being manufactured at its truck manufacturing plant in Portland, Oregon. The first production units in the U.S. will be delivered to Ferguson, Hogan Truck Leasing, Penske Truck Leasing, PITT Ohio, Ryder System, TITAN Freight Systems and Velocity Truck Rental & Leasing. In Canada, the first units will go to Brossard Leasing and Day & Ross.

The eM2 is built on the Freightliner M2 106 Plus platform and follows the introduction of the battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia in 2022. Currently, DTNA said it holds a leadership position with the eCascadia in the Class 8 market, based on available Polk registration data from the beginning of the year until September 2023.

The eM2 features a proprietary, fully integrated, battery-electric Detroit ePowertrain, DTNA said. Its design places electric motors and a two-speed transmission directly on the drive axles, reducing energy costs per mile. According to the company, the class six single-motor model provides up to 190 continuous horsepower, a 194 kWh battery, and a typical range of 180 miles on a single charge. In contrast, the class seven dual-motor variant offers up to 255 continuous horsepower, supported by a 291 kWh battery, providing a typical range of 250 miles on a single charge.

DTNA said the eM2 holds up well to the company’s own safety standards as well with proprietary battery side impact protection and the Detroit Assurance suite of safety systems. Standard safety features now include Active Brake Assist 5 (ABA5), tailgate warning, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) down to 0 mph, lane departure warning, intelligent high beams, automatic wipers and headlamps and side guard assist. The eM2 also includes Detroit Connect, a connected vehicle solution that facilitates real-time battery health monitoring, charging status and energy usage, DTNA said.