Velocity Truck Rental & Leasing, a division of Velocity Vehicle Group, is adding 200 battery-electric trucks – including 125 Class 8 Freightliner eCascadias and 75 Class 6 and 7 Freightliner eM2s from Daimler Truck North America – to its commercial truck rental and full-service truck leasing business.
The new rental and leasing fleet, along with supporting infrastructure to charge vehicles in 90 minutes or less, enables Velocity’s customers to deploy zero-emission trucks quickly and cost-effectively into their operations.
Both Freightliner models are battery-powered to run up to 230 miles. The larger eCascadia is an all-electric version of a Class 8 truck suited for short-haul and last-mile delivery routes. The eM2 is a highly maneuverable, quiet and comfortable Class 6-7 EV truck engineered for regional pick-up and delivery routes.
The entire fleet of 200 battery-electric trucks is scheduled to be in full service by 2025, with the first five Freightliner eCascadia trucks currently being deployed to Arrowlink Logistics to support pickups and deliveries at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif.
“Our customers are always at the forefront of what we do, and we know firsthand what it takes to put electric trucks and infrastructure in place,” says David Deon, president of Velocity Truck Rental & Leasing. “The acquisition of our new battery-powered fleet allows our customers the opportunity to go zero-emissions quickly, in addition to offering cost-saving measures through quick-charging infrastructure that is included in our leasing program.”
Velocity’s investment also includes installation of 39 dual port 150 kW chargers at multiple Southern California locations. The technology allows the Freightliner eM2 to reach an 80% state of charge in approximately 60 minutes for the Class 6 model and 90 minutes for the Class 7 model. Similarly, the Class 8 Freightliner eCascadia can achieve an 80% state of charge in approximately 90 minutes utilizing dual port charging.
The nearly four-dozen chargers will be installed at locations along transit corridors with 17 in Rancho Dominguez, 10 in Fontana, 10 in Industry, and two in San Diego. Velocity’s customers will have access to these high-powered chargers as either their primary or supplementary charging location as part of the lease agreement.