3 Manufacturers Investing in Electric Heavy Duty Vehicles

Electrification is a trend that’s taking over a variety of industrial fields—off-highway vehicles and their heavy-duty counterparts being one of them, as we covered in our steering column blog “Electric Off-Highway Vehicles: The Lowdown.”

Whether it’s because these machines are quiet or because they cut emissions, as noted in “How to Cut Emissions in Off-Highway Vehicles,” they offer tantalizing prospects to manufacturers everywhere.

Indeed, quite a few big dogs are putting money into electric heavy duty vehicles. Read on to discover some key businesses taking advantage of this trend, courtesy of BSM North America, your Burnsville provider of off-road steering columns.

Proterra

According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, “California… currently hosts around 42% of the total zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle stock in the United States and Canada,” and Californian company Proterra is a significant player there.

The company is primarily known for its buses and transportation equipment, but it also produces off-highway electric vehicles in partnership with other brands. Proterra is devoted particularly to the eco-conscious side of electrification, citing its original mission of creating an electric bus that could cut down on the transportation industry dependence on diesel fuels. Today, the company has cut millions of pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere thanks to its products.

Tesla

A name ubiquitous with electric-powered vehicles, Tesla is making a splash in the heavy-duty vehicle industry as well. As of February 2021, according to Electronic Design, the company has a semi truck in the works!

Able to accelerate from 0 to 60 in two seconds, it’s powerful enough to maintain its speed going up a five-percent grade, the magazine reveals. Given Tesla’s success with commuter models, it’s no wonder that the brand is dreaming big with what it has planned.

Daimler

As the largest truck manufacturer in the world, according to Green Biz, Daimler isn’t one to be left out of the heavy-duty vehicle electrification trend. Its 250-mile range electric eighteen-wheeler is a testament to the power of electricity and engineering to deliver green, low-emission solutions to an industry sorely in need.

Like Tesla, this is a company that has also been successful in the personal vehicle markets; its Mercedes-Benz brand is of course a household name. Can it make a mark just as big in the electric vehicle world?

BSM North America: Your Cutting-Edge Commercial Machining & Custom Steering Column Experts

If you’re looking to get in on the electric trend, our team of steering wheel column engineers are here to help. Give our Burnsville office a call today at 952-890-8146.