Germany / USA - of  Portland, Oregon, USA (a Daimler AG subsidiary) is expanding its field tests for medium and heavy-duty e-trucks. Freight and logistics leasing and rental company, Penske Truck Leasing of Camden, New Jersey and transit bus and coach builder, NFI Industries of Reading, Pennsylvania, are to be the first commercial companies in North America to operate the first heavy-duty Freightliner battery-electric eCascadia Class 8 trucks. The eCascadia is to be deployed in commercial operations; they are expected to have a range of up to 250 miles (400km). These initial shipments are the first heavy-duty additions to the 30-vehicle Freightliner Innovation Fleet. They were built at the Daimler Trucks North America Inc (DTNA) research and development centre in Portland, Oregon.

Both are members of the Freightliner Electric Vehicle Council and since the end of 2018, both carriers have been field-testing the medium-duty, fully electric Freightliner eM2. Penske is to operate the Freightliner eCascadia in regional traffic in Southern California, while NFI is to employ the eCascadia in drayage operations at both the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The two eCascadias are the first heavy-duty trucks in Freightliner's innovation fleet with a total of 30 electric vehicles. The market launch for both the Freightliner eCascadia and the eM2 truck is currently planned for 2021.