Navistar showcases a battery-electric International eMV medium-duty truck outfitted with a mixer body at ACT Expo in Anaheim, Calif. (Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics)
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Truck maker Navistar is expanding its electric truck offerings and has inked a partnership with infrastructure firm Quanta Services Inc. to help fleet customers implement battery-electric vehicles quickly and efficiently.
Navistar CEO Mathias Carlbaum made those announcements and outlined the truck manufacturer’s decarbonization journey during a May 3 press conference at the 2023 Advanced Clean Transportation Expo.
“We remain dedicated to reaching 50% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2030, charging capacity allowing it,” Carlbaum said. “We’ll do it step by step, segment by segment, application by application, and customer by customer.”
He cited an “exponential increase” in customers’ interest in going electric during the past couple of years.
“Now it’s time to start scaling,” Carlbaum said.
Navistar CEO Mathias Carlbaum discusses the truck maker’s plans to expand its electric vehicle business at ACT Expo in Anaheim, Calif. (Seth Clevenger/Transport Topics)
As one of its next steps, Navistar plans to introduce a Class 8 battery-electric tractor for regional haul applications in the near future.
Navistar also is adding new features and capabilities for its battery-electric International eMV Series medium-duty truck, which it first introduced in 2021 for box truck applications.
Since then, the company has worked with customers to expand the eMV Series into other applications such as electric bucket trucks, mini mixers, stake dumps and utility vehicles.
Now Navistar is providing ePower and electric power take-off options for customers to utilize the vehicle’s battery to power other parts of the vehicle, including electric transport refrigeration units and vocational truck systems, such as a boom or concrete mixer.
To help streamline the rollout of its electric trucks, Navistar is providing customers with consulting and support as they plan deployments.
“It all starts with consulting,” said Trish Reed, vice president of Navistar’s zero-emissions business. “We focus on assessing and understating our customers’ needs and their concerns around electrification.”
Today at @ACTExpo, we announced our new partnership with @Quanta_Services. We will provide our customers with a comprehensive vehicle and charging infrastructure solution that enables fleets to implement battery-electric vehicles quickly and efficiently. https://t.co/TJ4zhJir8k
— Navistar Newsroom (@NavistarNews) May 3, 2023
That can include route simulations and total cost of ownership calculations to determine when and how to electrify a fleet, as well as exploring funding options, including incentives and grants.
Through its new partnership agreement, Navistar will be working with Quanta to create a “one-stop shop” for EV infrastructure, including coordinating with utilities, permitting and installation, Reed said.
Quanta, a specialty electric power grid infrastructure company, provides engineering, construction and maintenance services, as well as power and infrastructure assessments for EV charging.
