Navistar Previews Electric Truck on Capitol Hill

Navistar International took the occasion of Earth Day to offer a preview of its new electric truck at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., yesterday.

The van with its distinctive wrap-around windshield is designed and built from the ground up as an electric original, said Mark Aubry, vice president of sales and marketing for the Navistar-Modec Electric Vehicle Alliance.

It has a range of 100 miles and its lithium-ion battery pack can be recharged in six hours. The batteries are assembled in a cassette that can be switched in 15 minutes, which in effect gives the operator an extended range, Aubry said.

"What you are looking at is not the future; it is the present," said Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly, who represents the district that includes Elkhart, Ind., where the truck is being built.

The truck is being built with the help of a $39 million grant under the American Recovery and Investment Act, administered by the Department of Energy.

Aubry explained that Navistar sees this van appealing to urban pickup and delivery operations and municipal fleets whose trucks might cover from 10 to 80 miles in a day. There are some 300,000 diesel and gasoline trucks in this market, he said. The company expects to build 400 of the trucks in the coming year.

These types of operations are making lots of inquiries about the truck, which indicates that there is considerable interest in the technology, he said. And he said Navistar expects to offer different configurations as the market develops.

Navistar is not ready to post a cost number but Aubry acknowledged that the truck will come at a premium over a comparable gas or diesel model. Early adopters recognize they will pay more, but they are attracted by the environmental benefits and a lower cost of operation, he said. He does expect the overall cost to be competitive over three to four years.

Also, the federal government offers a tax credit of $7,500 per truck. States may have incentives as well. California, for example, has a voucher program in which buyers can qualify for a $20,000 savings per unit at the point of purchase, he said.

The truck will be distributed through select International dealerships in urban areas that are trained and equipped to maintain and recycle the batteries, Aubry said. The dealers will work closely with local utilities to make sure purchasers have the necessary electric infrastructure to keep the trucks charged.

The truck is rated at 12,100 pounds and can carry up to 4,400 pounds. Bumper-to-bumper length is approximately 21 feet over a 132-inch wheelbase, and it has a turning radius of 36 feet. It will come with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, and the battery pack will keep its ability to hold a charge for eight to 10 years, Aubry said.

"Earth Day is not just about one day," said Shane Terblanche, general manager of the Navistar-Modec Alliance. "It's about doing the best we can to create a cleaner world with efficient transportation options every day. This electric truck is proof that, working in collaboration with Congress and DOE, we can bring advanced technology to market today."