The International trucks Andre is testing in this video are all eMV units. MV means Medium Vocation and they sit between Class 5, and Class 7. That means they weigh between 10,000 lbs – 33,000 lbs. Give or take.
One of the MV trucks he tests is equipped with a 6.7 Cummins and an Allison transmission. The other – well, its has no engine or transmission. Just a battery and some electric motors. International is putting real money into developing electric heavy duty MV trucks. They are called eMVs.
We know that the idea of electric trucks is a controversial conversation. At TFLtruck, we simply report on what we see and observe, which can be hard to hear for some. There is a reality that we know for sure: as mandates approach, and technology improves, we will see more EV trucks on the road.
My personal opinion is that heavy-duty rigs, Class-7 and up, are going to have some sort of diesel powertrain for the foreseeable future. They are simply hard to beat for the long haul; however, there are place where EV trucks can shine – at the same time. The video that Andre presents covers some of that, with International pointing the way to the future.
Rather than scream about the sky falling and we have to nuke all internal combustion vehicles, they found a compromise. By spending research dollars on EV trucks (E-MV), they found that you can build and sell – both – for various markets.
When I was in school, one of my side-gigs was driving school buses. It sucked, but it was good money at the time. I drove for a company that pickup up and dropped off school kids near the Pacific Palisades, California area. I recall my daily mileage was about 80 to 120 miles (depending on field trips). That was combined, morning and afternoon runs.
The idea of an electric school bus seems like a good idea for certain communities. In fact, there are many instances where a rechargeable truck makes a lot of sense. If the commute is small, especially in urban areas, there is potential. That is exactly what International is mindful of.
Their 210 kWh battery is about double the size of a Ford F-150 Lightning battery.
The new eMV™ Series suits any straight rail application* and with a vehicle performance of 335 hp and battery capacity of 135 miles the new eMV is ready to help you get the job done, no matter what job comes your way. And its new thoughtful design with improved visibility through sloped hood and breakaway mirrors provides additional safety for your crew.
*No PTO application, ePTO under development
Key features of the new eMV include:
The maintenance schedule for trucks like this is far less financially straining, and time intensive as an internal combustion truck. Still there are a lot of things to keep in mind: batteries weigh a LOT, which can be an issue for various roads and bridges. Batteries still degrade over time, and recycling them still leaves lots of questions.
And finally, with the eMV trucks like a school bus being so silent, won’t the sheer noise of the children screaming scramble the driver’s brain? All joking aside, Andre shows us in this video, how BOTH types of vehicles can exist side-by-side.