In August, at a splashy ceremony in the heart of California’s Napa Valley, Daimler Trucks North America presented a set of keys to a brand-new eCascadia, electric Class 8 tractor to Penske Truck Leasing and West Coast drayage fleet NFI. Now, Penske Logistics has announced that it has successfully logged more than 10,000 over-the-road miles making multiple, daily store deliveries on dedicated routes in Southern California for a leading quick service restaurant chain using the two, electric eCascadias it acquired for evaluation purposes in August.

The company believes it is the first truck fleet operator in the United States to achieve such a feat. 

"For a fleet that runs trucks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, 10,000 miles may not seem like a milestone, but we believe we are the first fleet in the United States to make daily store deliveries using battery electric heavy-duty tractors for regional distribution," explained Marc Althen, president of Penske Logistics. "We are extremely proud of our dedicated team and thankful to our partners at Freightliner and Daimler Trucks North America. Without them, this landmark would not have been possible. We're quite impressed with the performance of the eCascadia."

The eCascadias operated by Penske Logistics are part of Freightliner's Electric Innovation Fleet. The fleet is testing the integration of battery electric trucks in large-scale fleet operations with partners like NFI and Penske. The Freightliner Innovation Fleet is supported by a partnership between Daimler Trucks North America and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which focuses on improving air quality in California's South Coast Basin and partially funded the Innovation Fleet with a nearly $16M grant.

Penske took delivery of its first Freightliner eCascadia August 20, 2019, and plans to eventually deploy 10 eCascadias in its Southern California operations. The fleet is supported by a network of heavy-duty electric vehicle charging stations at five Penske Truck Leasing facilities in Southern California. Penske also performs preventive maintenance at these locations.