Electric vehicles are becoming a common sight in most countries around the world. and for a good reason, this trend is going to continue increasing. But the electrification of one segment of the market – the commercial vehicles, especially from medium to heavy vehicles was seen as very complicated and demanding. But over the years, there has been tremendous progress made in this segment. Continue reading as we explore the electric trucks Canada market and the best options that are available to buy.
The CV segment has vehicles that operate in an extremely diverse range of tasks, unlike the passenger car segment. Moreover, many of these vehicles have operating cycles that require hundreds of kilometres of travel carrying heavy loads on a daily basis. There is not going to be a one-size-fits-all solution. Hence, bringing electrification to CVs would require a lot of effort from both the governments and industries from around the world. But despite all the hurdles the electromobility options in CVs are increasing at a decent pace.
Undeniably, we push the technological boundaries to address climate change, bringing more sustainable forms of transport, the cost of EVs has dropped significantly. Also, there are drastic improvements in their operating range, performance and reliability.
Here you can find a list of all the best battery-operated electric trucks that are available in Canada.
- Lion Electric
- VNR Electric
- Peterbilt Electric Series
- Kenworth Electric Series
- Tesla Semi
- Freightliner Electric Series
- Mack LR
- International eMV
Lion Electric
Lion Electric is a Canadian e-mobility firm that offers buses and trucks as well as other vehicles.
Lion6
The Lion6 is a class 6 truck from the manufacturer with a GVWR of around 11793 kg. Needless to say, the truck is pure electric, which can operate very efficiently offering a nice performance.
A Direct Drive with motor and inverter from Sumo MD and Dana TM4 respectively provides a maximum power of 250 kW. While the torque produced is 2500 Nm and the top speed the vehicle has is around 104 km/h.
Battery capacities of up to 252 kWh provide the vehicle with an operating range of up to 321 km. Charging the batteries requires a minimum of 2 hours with a Level III charge.
Also, the Lion6 has various ePTO options available.
Lion8
The Lion8 is a pure electric battery-operated Class 8 truck. The truck is available in multiple form factors specific to various applications required to perform in urban areas.
Its electric direct drive is able to produce up to 350 kW of peak power and a torque of up to 3400 Nm.
With up to 336 kWh of installed Li-ion battery capacity (NMC), it requires a Level III charging time of a minimum of 2 hours.
A single full charge gives it a driving range of around 270 km. It has a GVWR of 27.2 tonnes and a top speed of around 104 km/h.
The vehicle comes with air suspensions and air disc brakes.
VNR Electric
VNR Electric is an e-mobility solution for CVs from the Volvo Trucks North America Division. They have a design characteristic with North American type of trucks.
The VNR electric series is available in a wide variety of axle sizes in rigid and tractor forms. According to the specs sheet, these trucks have a power rating of 340 kW and can produce approximately up to 5492 Nm of torque.
Furthermore, the transmission is Volvo’s I-shift two-speed automated, allowing the truck a top-speed of around 109 km/h. These trucks can have a GCW of up to 40-tonnes.
An option to choose between batteries of 375 kWh and 565 kWh capacities depending on the model and configuration is available. Charging the batteries to 80 percent takes about 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the capacity, using 250 kWh DC.
These trucks have an operating range of up to around 440 km on a single charge.
Peterbilt Electric Series Trucks
With its all-electric models 220EV, 520EV, and 579EV, Peterbilt, one of North America’s premier truck manufacturers, is forging ahead in providing reliable, environmentally sustainable load carriers. These trucks are available in different models to cater demands of various market niches.
Peterbilt 579EV
The company’s 579EV is a Class 8 heavy variant with a GVWR of 36.2 tonnes. Moreover, Its electric drive has a continuous power capacity of 400 kWh and a maximum capacity of 500 kWh.
The heavy load carrier comes with massive LFP battery packs with a capacity of up to 396 kWh. As a result, it has a range of up to 240 kilometres on a single charge.
Additionally, with DC fast charging, these batteries may be fully charged in 3-4 hours.
The truck’s Day Cab design is suitable for short hauling operations between hubs. Also, where plenty of opportunities to recharge the batteries via regenerative braking exists.
Peterbilt 520EV
The Model 520EV has a maximum GVWR of around 29900 kg. While its low-cab forward solution is ideal for refuse management applications.
Power rating options of 360 kW continuous to a maximum of 500 kW; And 400 kW continuous to a max of 500 kW.
Battery capacities of up to 396 kWh based on the configuration and components are available. A range of around 128 km and 1100 bin cycles.
Takes advantage of frequent start and stop typical of refuse collection jobs with regenerative braking. Offers a smooth quiet ride
Peterbilt 220EV
These electric lorries are available in Class 6 with a GVWR of around 11790 kg as well as Class 7 with a GVWR of around 14900 kg.
Also, curb weights of these vehicles range from 5570 to 6700 kg
Specification of the trucks is – Class 6 HV2600 154-250 kW; Class 7 – HV3500 with 259-350 kW. While Drive configuration is 4×2.
Thermally Controlled LFP Batteries options of 141 kWh with a range of about 160 km and 282 kWh with a range of up to 321 km.
Charging with 19.5 kW AC takes around 7.5-15 hours and 1-2 hours on 150 kW DC fast charging.
Kenworth Electric Truck Series
PACCAR Group Company, Kenworth is renowned for its iconic trucks across the North American continent.
Kenworth T680E
To begin with, the T680E is a Class 8 heavy-duty all-electric truck that has designs similar to the T680 model.
Models available in 24.49 tonnes and 37.194 tonnes GVWR capacities. Also, the truck is available in 6×4 axle configurations of a day cab as either a tractor or rigid truck.
The Meritor’s 14Xe powertrain with high/ low voltage power electronics can deliver the heavy BEV a 394.23 kW of continuous power and a peak of 492.8 kW, as well as a torque of 2200 Nm.
It comes with a battery size of 396 kWh. A maximum rate of 120 kWh using CCS1 DC fast charge can fully charge the heavy load carrier in about 3.3 hours.
Moreover, these trucks have an estimated range of up to 241.2 km depending on the type of application.
Its design is suitable for pickup and delivery tasks.
Kenworth 270E
Kenworth 270E is a Class 6 all-electric truck from the manufacturer,
The Electric motor used in the truck are HV2600
Kenworth 370E
This is a Class 7 Electric truck from the company.
Electric motor used are HV3500
Tesla Semi
The Tesla Semi – one of the most awaited heavy trucks since its public revelation in 2017. The Class 8 heavy vehicle was widely applauded for its exceptional specifications. Although there are a few working vehicles on the road today, the mass production of the Semi is postponed to 2023.
The design of the truck is aerodynamic from the ground up. As a result, it has a drag coefficient of just 0.36 to optimize battery savings.
Moreover, it can do 0-100 km/h in just 25 seconds with 36 tonnes and can maintain the speed at 5 percent grade. All the power comes from four independent motors on the rear axles.
It can go for 475 km or 800 km, depending on the configuration, on a single charge while consuming less than 2 kW/km of energy.
The design of the cabin, with the driver’s seat in the center position, is quite ergonomic, allowing a panoramic field of view.
It can be used with autonomous driving features with the driver required to be cautious, of course.
Freightliner Electric Truck Series
In the North Americas, the Daimler brand is known for its heavy-duty vehicles.
Freightliner eCascadia
Freightliner eCascadia is a Class 8 all-electric heavy-duty battery-electric truck from Freightliner. The Daimler group’s brand is famous for its heavy-duty trucks in the Americas.
eCascadia has the same platform as the Cascadia – North America’s highest sold class 8 truck platform that has a long history of reliability.
The electric drive produces a power of 360-500 HP (373 kW) to allow the truck a GCW of 37.194 tonnes.
Battery Capacities offered are 315 kWh or 475 kWh allowing a driving range of up to 400 kilometres. Charging the batteries to 80 percent takes about 90 minutes.
Additionally, single or multi e-axle options of propulsion are available in the truck to address different requirements
The start of production is to start late 2022 at Portland Truck Manufacturing Plant with a hundred percent clean energy
Freightliner eM2
eM2 is another variant from Freightliner in Class 6 and Class 7. This truck is ideal for final-step logistics, pickup and delivery, as well as distribution tasks.
From the specifications sheet, it has power specifications in the range of 132 – 224 kW.
The truck can be had with a usable battery capacity of 210 kWh or 315 kWh options. While recharging the batteries can be done in around 60 minutes to 80 percent. It has an operating range of around 370 km, depending on the configuration and other factors.
Additionally, it is available in two GVWR options of around 11793 kg and 14968 kg.
In a word, the eM2 is an incredible option in an electric form that operates with zero emissions. Production of eM2 is set to begin in early 2023.
MACK LR Electric
The LR Electric is an all-electric version of MACK’s LR series trucks. These are designed specially to operate in cities to perform waste collection and other tasks.
Two 130 kW high-performance AC motors produce 400 kW of peak power and 334 kW of continuous power to drive the truck. It has a 2-speed Mack Powershift transmission with 5492.4 Nm of peak torque output.
The energy is provided from 4 NMC li-ion batteries, 600 V and fast charging capability. It takes 90 mins to fully charge with 150 kW which allows it to operate for about 113 km.
Also, it comes with two-stage regenerative braking for additional energy savings.
It has a payload capacity of 11.55 tonnes and a GVWR of 29.9 tonnes.
The ergonomically designed cabin has large windows for improved vision even on narrow streets and a low sidestep height of 432 mm.
International eMV
The International electric MV or eMV is an electric version of its regular MV model.
To begin with, the electric lorry has GVWR options of about 11790 kg and 14900 kg.
Also, a Direct Drive Electric Motor supplies peak power up to 264 kW and continuous torque of about 1000 Nm and a peak of around 2304 Nm.
LFP batteries of up to 210 kWh come with the model, which provides it with a range of around 217 km. Charging of them is possible at a rate of 125 kW/h using CCS1 charging.
Furthermore, the eMV has Vehicle-to-Grid capability, which is able to supply power to locations in critical situations, if needed.
Three-stage regenerative braking (30%, 60% and 100%), and as a result an optimized performance and efficiency is possible.
The eMV comes with state-of-the-art driver display options. As a result, an increased situational awareness for the driver.
The model is available in axle configuration of 4×2.
