Meritor Blue Horizon’s new 14Xe all-electric powertrain is now under production and available for sales for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles.
The 14Xe ePowertrain is a fully integrated, all-electric drive system. Meritor says it is the only integrated electric powertrain in production for Class 8 trucks in North America.
The 14Xe ePowertrain produced at Meritor's manufacturing facility in Asheville, North Carolina, is based on Meritor's 14X axle housing, which maintains existing axle mounting hardware for easier OEM integration. The modular design allows for the interchangeability of key components, including electric motors, transmissions, gearing, brakes, wheel ends and housings, to adopt to customer specifications. It can be adapted to fit various powertrain needs based on vehicle application and duty cycle spanning Class 5-8 commercial vehicles.
By building the electric powertrain on its existing 14X axles, Meritor made the 14Xe easier for truck makers to integrate.
Photo: Meritor
As HDT reported earlier this year, the axle is now the powertrain. Meritor officials explained in February that the company has taken the 14X from a basic drive axle, which received power from the powertrain and translated it to the ground, to now actually powering the truck. Meritor integrated a power-dense motor and a multi-speed transmission and nested it into the carrier of the axle so it fits within the existing suspension profile.
Meritor highlights the integration in this video:
It's Everywhere
Meritor also announced more OE deals for the new electric powertrains. It will supply its Blue Horizon 14Xe ePowertrains to Hexagon Purus for a near-term development program with the intention of taking the program to production. Meritor's ePowertrain will be used in two different hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle applications in North America. These applications include a Class 8 drayage truck and yard hauler. This announcement follows Hexagon Purus and Meritor partnering to integrate the 14Xe ePowertrain into Hexagon Purus' Class 6 and Class 7 trucks and Class 8 (6x4) vehicles
Meritor also will provide the 14Xe powertrains for the next generation all-electric Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley school bus from Thomas Built Buses. This is Meritor's first electric vehicle production award with a Daimler Trucks North America brand. The intended agreement will span five years and is expected to start in January 2024.
And it will provide zero-emission battery-electric drivetrain technology to Paccar for the SuperTruck 3 program.
