Freightliner To Make Electric Vans Utilizing Tesla Battery Packs

An All-Electric Freightliner Van









It seems there are headlines similar to this one every day lately. Delivery vans that drive the same routes are ideal candidates for electrification. Think of the savings in gasoline, maintenance and pollution if fleet operators such as the USPS, FedEx and UPS all converted to electric vans. Certainly, the initial cost is high but the dividend is great when factored over the lifetime of the vehicle. The uncertainty of the Tesla battery pack's longevity would be the main "X" factor for Freightliner.

From Gas2.0:

Electric might not seem very practical for most of the population right now, but for many companies that employ fleets of vehicles, they make all the sense on the world. Many fleet vehicles don’t wander too far from home base, and often run the same route every day. Without the cost of gas or maintaince, companies would have much more money to use to improve their business and could also lower costs.

Freightliner, a big trucking company who already has natural gas and hybrid vehicles on the road, has turned to Tesla to provide battery packs for their upcoming line of electric vans.

Tesla’s Roadster uses a battery pack that contains more than 2,000 lithium cells much like you find in laptops. It is part of the reason why the Roadster costs north of $100,000. The truck uses three individual 18.5 kWh packs, which provides 55.5 kilowatt hours of total power, good for about 150 miles or so depending on how you drive. The Freightliner vans will have a range “north” of 100 miles, depending on payload and how many battery packs they add on.

The vans are actually lighter with the electric drivetrain, despite the 900 pounds of batteries. The Enova motor provides peak power of 160 horsepower, so don’t expect these vans to be lightning fast. But everything fits in the frame, and it can support up to five individual packs for 92.5 kilowatts of power and even more range. Sounds like Tesla is branching out beyond passenger cars, and good thing too. The electrification of the fleet market would go a long way towards reducing emissions and gaining widespread acceptance for electric cars.

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation ecoFRED Motorhome Chassis Ready for Production

The Freightliner ecoFRED Hybrid Motorhome Chassis

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation ecoFRED^TM Motorhome Chassis Ready for Production

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Dec. 3, 2009 - ecoFRED^TM, the RV industry's first hybrid-electric Class A motorhome chassis, is now available for order. Introduced in December 2008 by Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) as a prototype, ecoFRED provides improved fuel economy while also reducing engine emissions.

Equipped with the Eaton® hybrid-electric system, ecoFRED is unlike any other chassis available in the RV market today. Powered by the Cummins® ISB 6.7-liter engine with up to 300 hp and an Eaton automated manual transmission, ecoFRED provides increased torque for better acceleration, contributing to a superior performance that has become synonymous with the FCCC brand.

"We are pleased that ecoFRED is ready for production," said Jonathan Randall, director of sales and marketing for FCCC. "ecoFRED offers reduced exhaust emissions, leading toward a cleaner environment, requires less fuel to operate and has an improved brake life, all of which contribute to better overall performance and a reduced operational cost for our customers."

ecoFRED, so named because of its increased fuel economy and ecological/ environmental benefits, offers significantly less brake wear due to regenerative braking, leading to lower replacement costs. The chassis also boasts of better acceleration and increased towing capacity, operating similar to driving an automatic transmission.
ecoFRED has increased towing capacity with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 27,000 lbs. and a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 37,000 lbs. This enables travelers to carry more weight in the coach storage compartments or tow a heavier or additional vehicle.

FCCC engineers also designed ecoFRED to offer a best-in-class 55-degree wheel cut to better travel and navigate through tight spatial constraints. Similar to the popular FRED (Front Engine Diesel) chassis, ecoFRED does not have an engine hump or "dog house" typically found on a gas chassis. The result is a flat floor and more room in the driver cockpit, contributing to driver comfort and easier entry and egress from the seats to the back of the motorhome.