Penske Truck Leasing and Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) commemorated the delivery of two battery electric production model Freightliner eCascadia semi-trucks.

The delivery of these heavy-duty electric vehicles is a milestone for both companies and marks the culmination of a period of co-creation, refinement, and field testing that kicked off nearly five years ago, according to Penske's news release.

“Interest in electric vehicles continues to grow as our customers seek to further reduce emissions,” said Paul Rosa, SVP of procurement and fleet planning at Penske. “We’re committed to providing our customers with the latest vehicle technologies to help them achieve their sustainability goals. We anticipate adding more electric vehicles across our fleet for full-service leasing, rental, and for use within our logistics business. We commend DTNA for their collaborative approach in bringing these innovative vehicles to market.”

Penske said it has been an early adopter of battery electric commercial vehicles and has invested in testing, maintaining, and building out charging infrastructure to support these vehicles. The company has been testing in real-world conditions across its leasing, rental, and logistics fleets in a variety of industries including retail, manufacturing, grocery, quick-service restaurant chains, medical, and others.

“Penske is a true pioneer in bringing advanced technologies to the road,” said David Carson, SVP of sales and marketing, at DTNA. “As a long-term, trusted partner in our electrification journey, Penske played an integral role in shaping the eCascadia to what is now available to all customers and making our highways a safer and cleaner place for us and generations to come.”

Since 2018, Penske Truck Leasing and DTNA have collaborated on testing and introducing electric vehicles to customers including the Freightliner eM2 and eCascadia models.