Freightliner eCascadia EV Semi Joins Sysco’s Fleet

• Foodservice distribution company Sysco receives its first Freightliner eCascadia Class 8 electric semi.

• The eCascadia has been in pre-series production and testing since 2018 in prototype form and has collected 1.5 million miles of testing in that time.

• The truck is offered with a choice of configurations and batteries, including 194 kWh, 291 kWh, and 438 kWh, with a top range of 230 miles.

With the recent focus on Tesla's long-delayed semi joining Coca-Cola's fleet, it's easy to get the impression that the event is the first of its type. But in reality, several truck makers including Volvo and Mercedes-Benz have been producing and delivering electric semi trucks to customer fleets for the past year or so.

Just last month Daimler Truck North America delivered several Class 8 electric trucks, with foodservice distribution company Sysco receiving its first one at the start of November. The first Freightliner eCascadia to join Sysco's fleet will work at its Riverside, California, site ahead of the arrival of additional eCascadia trucks in 2023.

"Today is a major milestone in our climate journey as we work toward electrifying 35% of our US fleet by 2030," Neil Russell, Sysco's senior vice president of corporate affairs and chief communications officer, said earlier in November.

The eCascadia, which we drove recently, has been in pre-series production and testing since 2018 in prototype form, with the production version revealed in May of this year after prototypes had accumulated 1.5 million miles in customer fleets. So real companies have already benefitted from Daimler's eCascadia trucks.

Depending on battery configuration—from 194 kWh to 291 kWh and 438 kWh—the eCascadia offers ranges of 155, 220, or 230 miles, making it suitable for short-haul daily routes and for depot-based recharging. This makes the Class 8 truck attractive to drayage operations and regional distribution routes, with the eCascadia and trailer featuring a gross combined weight of 82,000 pounds in a tandem drive layout and a GCW of 65,000 pounds in a single drive layout.

"This zero-emission tractor is powerful, quiet and—importantly—very comfortable to drive. That means it's not only good for the planet, but it will improve the driving experience for thousands of our delivery partners," said Marie Robinson, Sysco's EVP and chief supply chain officer at Daimler Truck North America.

Daimler Trucks says the eCascadia can juice up to 80% state of charge in just 90 minutes at its home base.

By 2026, Sysco plans to deploy up to 800 eCascadias for its operations, including those that will be paired with electric refrigerated trailers.