Cummins
Cummins – a brand synonymous with diesel engines – has revealed its first electric semi truck prototype.
The Aeos is an aerodynamic tractor built by Roush Enterprises that’s powered by a concept Cummins electric drivetrain with enough power to haul up to 44,000 pounds and a 140 kWh battery pack good for 100 miles of range. According to Cummins, it all weighs exactly the same as the diesel powertrain it replaces.
In its current form, the truck is aimed at short haul delivery and dryage applications, and has a recharge time of one hour that the company expects to reduce to 20 minutes in a couple of years. Also envisioned are a larger battery that can be added to increase range to 300 miles, solar panels mounted to the roof of the trailer and a diesel-powered generator for even longer trips.
While there are no plans to put the Aeos into production yet, Cummins says the truck demonstrates its ability to do that if market demand arises.
The introduction of the zero-emissions truck comes just weeks before Tesla is expected to unveil a semi of its own design that can reportedly go 200 to 300 miles per charge.