Cummins is set to battle Tesla with its new all-electric semi truck
Tesla will reportedly introduce a new line of all-electric semi trucks in September — but another major player in the big rig game just beat Tesla to the punch by showing off its own alternative energy freight truck first.
Cummins, a company that is synonymous with diesel engines, just unveiled a vehicle called the AEOS that's an electric-powered Class 7 semi truck cab concept. The truck swaps out the semi's standard gas-guzzling 12-liter engine for an electric one powered by a 140 KWh battery pack.
The AEOS semi will have a range of 100 miles per charge, according to Cummins, meaning it's designed for shorter runs in urban areas rather than long hauls on the highway. Extra battery packs can extend the range to about 300 miles for longer routes if necessary.
The concept has a few other options to generate power while on the road, too. There's a regenerative braking system, and the company teased the potential to integrate solar panels onto the trailer roof to send even more juice to the battery pack.
The battery will take about an hour to charge, according to Fortune, but Cummins hopes to cut that process down to just 20 minutes by 2020.
The AEOS is just a concept for now, but Cummins will look to begin production of the design in 2019. The company won't actually be manufacturing trucks — instead, Cummins will supply the battery and driveline system to truck makers to include in their vehicles.
Cummins and Tesla aren't the only companies working to develop electric semi trucks for the future of freight hauling, either. Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, showed off its Urban eTruck concept last year, which has an estimated 124-mile range. Swedish transportation startup Einride has an even more far-flung concept in the works that adds self-driving capabilities to the mix.
With all of this EV development in the semi trucking space, it seems like freight hauling will be the next frontier for zero emissions efforts. Don't be too surprised if you start seeing electric-powered semis on your roadtrips over the next few years, making the highway a cleaner, quieter place.
Topics Electric Vehicles Tesla
Brett Williams is a Tech Reporter at Mashable. He writes about tech news, trends and other tangentially related topics with a particular interest in wearables and exercise tech. Prior to Mashable, he wrote for Inked Magazine and Thrillist. Brett's work has also appeared on Fusion and AskMen, to name a few. You can follow Brett on Twitter @bdwilliams910.
