US company Cummins recently unveiled its latest vehicle, the AEOS, a prototype for an electrically powered truck. The company, an engine manufacturer which was set up in 1919, has mostly been known for producing diesel and gas engines… until now.
This new articulated lorry is a so-called Class 7 Truck and be loaded with up to 20 tons. In the version shown here, it has a range of 160 kilometres – a distance which can be tripled with the use of additional batteries. Combined with Cummins combustion engines, the range is said to reach up to nearly 1000 kilometres, with a fuel consumption of around half of that of current diesel hybrids.
The vehicle is set to be in use by 2019, mostly for making deliveries within cities or for covering other short distances, such as transporting goods in a harbour.
But Cummins isn’t actually the only company that is building electric motors into freight vehicles. Tesla is said to be developing an electric lorry with a range of between 320-480 kilometres – although in the USA, even these distances are actually seen as short trips. Long-distance transport of goods in electrically-powered vehicles is still not quite on the cards.
When it comes to short journeys – for trips across town or at loading terminals – cargo trucks could soon be transporting goods with much less noise and much fewer emissions.
Want to take an EV for a spin, convert your bike to an electric one in just 60 seconds, or find out how to make electrically-powered deliveries near you? Check out our article on how you too can Join the E-Mobility Revolution.
This article is a translation by Marisa Pettit of the original article which first appeared on RESET’s German-language site.