Dana Inc. will begin production soon of a new rear-drive axle for medium-duty, “last mile” delivery vehicle for Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. Freightliner is preparing to introduce its all-electric MT50e truck chassis that features a battery system from California-based Proterra, with 226 kWh of energy capacity and an all-electric, zero-emission drive system.
Dana will produce the first in a series of Spicer Electrified™ Zero-6 e-Axles, the eS9000r, for the MT50e, including a gearbox and motor providing up to 240 kW of power to support the vehicle's driving range of up to 170 miles.
"Delivery fleets are adopting electrified vehicles today, and Dana is supporting platforms such as the FCCC MT50e, with optimal e-Powertrain solutions," stated senior vice president Ryan Laskey, of Dana’s Commercial Vehicle Drive and Motion Systems. "As more and more vehicle manufacturers rely on Dana innovations for their electrified vehicle architectures, we continue to evaluate each application to provide the ideal electrodynamic system for the given vehicle, duty cycle, and customer requirements."
Dana also announced its plan to expand its Spicer Electrified™ e-Powertrain offerings to include single and tandem e-Axles for heavy-duty (Class 7 and 8) commercial trucks. The Spicer Electrified™ Zero-8 e-Axles are designed to easily integrate into most existing chassis, and complement Dana's heavy-duty electric-vehicle e-Propulsion systems, already in service.
The 4x2, 6x2, and 6x4 configurations are compatible with drum or disc brakes, and are available as completely integrated fully dressed assemblies.
