Congress

 

Senate

 

Trucking Urges Zero-Emission Approach That Goes Beyond EVs — “Alternatives for reducing emissions that go beyond a federal regulatory push to expand use of battery-electric heavy trucks exist for both near- and longer-term applications, experts said in interviews after a recent roundtable discussion hosted by Sen. Pete Ricketts in his home state of Nebraska. Ricketts (R-Neb.) is championing his Flex Fuel Fairness Act, which aims to bolster the market for low-carbon liquid fuels such as ethanol by providing incentives for manufacturers to produce flex fuel vehicles alongside battery EVs. He brought trucking industry stakeholders to an Aug. 28 meeting to discuss these opportunities. ‘We can take significant steps right now to decarbonizing and reducing the carbon footprint,’ said American Trucking Associations Chairman Dan Van Alstine after participating in the meeting. Van Alstine also serves as president and chief operating officer of Ruan Transportation. ‘If we replace trucks run prior to 2010 with current diesel technology, we’d see an 83% reduction in emissions. Today 60 trucks emit what one truck did in 1988,’ he said.” [Transport Topics, 8/30/23 (=)]

 

 

Truck Manufacturers

 

Mercedes-Benz Group AG

 

Mercedes Prices All-Electric 2024 eSprinter From $74,181 — “Mercedes-Benz officially opened ordering for the 2024 eSprinter electric van Wednesday. The base variant of the battery-powered cargo hauler boasts a 170-inch wheelbase and high roof, a 134-horsepower motor and an EPA estimated 249 miles of range. It starts at $74,181 (including $2,295 for destination), with the high-output version commanding a $3,400 premium. The U.S. variant of the eSprinter ships only with the largest battery pack Mercedes offers. It’s a 113-kilowatt-hour lithium-iron-phosphate unit that zaps a rear-mounted motor into motion and if driven exclusively in the city, can go up to 300 miles (well more than its EPA estimate) on a single charge. The upgraded motor offers 201 horsepower, and both variants develop 295 pound-feet of torque. The drivetrain is compatible with 115-kilowatt fast-charging, and going from 10% to 80% takes about 42 minutes; the onboard AC charger is capped at 9.6 kW, which will bring the battery from 0 to 100% charge in 12.5 hours.” [Autoblog, 8/30/23 (=)]

 

Mercedes-Benz Electrifies Van Life With The 2024 eSprinter — “Right now, electric cargo vans are a fringe market, but Mercedes-Benz says that starting in 2025, all new Benz vans will be electric. Along with the electric Rivian Amazon vans and the Ford E-Transit, the 2024 e-Sprinter is on the leading edge of stealth delivery vehicles. Imagine the GMC Vandura A-Team van, but completely opposite. While some of Benz’s EQ models err on the side of freaky futurism, the e-Sprinter mission statement is ‘like a Sprinter, but electric.’ So it looks conventional and offers the same trademark commodious and versatile interior that has caused many a tradesman to trade in their Econoline and join the high-roof Euro-van movement. Which is distinct from the Volkswagen Eurovan movement, in that it tends to involve upfitting from Knapheide rather than Houseplant.” [Car and Driver, 8/30/23 (=)]

 

2024 Mercedes-Benz ESprinter Starts At $74,181 With 113-Kwh Battery — “Mercedes-Benz has announced US pricing for its first fully electric van in North America, the all-new eSprinter based on Mercedes-Benz Vans’ new Electric Versatility Platform. The Mercedes-Benz eSprinter is available for order at authorized US dealerships starting now with a starting MSRP of $74,181, including a $2,295 destination and delivery charge. You may be tempted to think that the high price is due to the Chicken Tax, but that’s not the case because the eSprinter for North America will dodge that as it will be assembled in Charleston, South Carolina. Now, it’s worth pointing out that while the Ford E-Transit starts at $51,890, the eSprinter comes as standard in the US in 170-inch long wheelbase cargo version – 280 inches total length – with a high-roof configuration, which translates into more payload and cargo capacity than the longest E-Transit with 148-inch wheelbase.” [Inside EVs, 8/30/23 (=)]

 

 

Responses to this email are not monitored.

 

To receive Trucks Clips or other Clean Vehicles Coalition (CVC) materials, please contact Al-Batool Ibrahim

(aibrahim@partnershipproject.org)

 

For any other questions or comments, please contact Mitch Dunn

(mitch@beehivedc.com)