When it comes to heavy-duty electric trucks, Tesla’s Semi has dominated headlines. But other major automotive companies are also manufacturing electric semis.
Let’s look at some of Tesla’s competition.
In 2017, engine manufacturer Cummins presented an all-electric concept vehicle to the media. The company will start selling its electric heavy-duty truck cabs to bus operators and commercial truck fleets in 2019.
Despite the fanfare surrounding the reveal of the Tesla Semi, Cummins unveiled its electric truck in August of 2017, a full three months before Tesla revealed the Semi to the world.
In 2016, Daimler – one of the world’s largest truck makers – got into the electric truck game. The company launched the Fuso eCanter, an all-electric, light-duty truck. And the eCanter wasn’t just a concept vehicle. Daimler began selling the small electric trucks to customers in Europe, the U.S., and Japan.
Now Daimler is at it again. To compete with the Tesla Semi, the company is launching the Freightliner eCascadia, a heavy-duty, long-distance truck. Daimler plans to start delivering the vehicles to customers in North America by the end of 2018.
Electric power isn’t the only game in town when it comes to the heavy-duty trucks of the future. The Nikola Motor Company hopes to launch a hydrogen-electric hybrid vehicle by 2021.
The company has partnered with equipment supplier Nel ASA to create “the largest hydrogen network in the world” – covering 2,000 miles and including 16 stations.
Sources: Cummins Engines, Forbes, Daimler, Nikola Motor Company