Team Penske and long-time partner Freightliner, part of Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), recently used the pre-production, fully-electric Freightliner eCascadia semi-truck to pull a full-sized Team Penske racecar hauler to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum ahead of the Clash event.

The electric semi-truck pulled the trailer from a Penske Truck Leasing (PTL) location in Ontario, Calif. to the inaugural race at the LA Coliseum as part of Freightliner’s primary sponsorship of the No. 2 Freightliner eCascadia Ford driven by NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year contender Austin Cindric. The eCascadia remained on display throughout race weekend to give fans a firsthand look at the battery electric truck.

The eCascadia used by Team Penske is part of the Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleet, which includes 20 battery-electric trucks in operation by PTL and its customers. The fleet began operation in 2019 and was supported by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), which focuses on improving air quality in the South Coast Basin of Southern California and partially funded the project.

To date, PTL has accumulated more than 480,000 miles of use on the trucks, providing DTNA valuable feedback for the final series production coming in late 2022.

A leader in global transportation systems, PTL constructed charging infrastructure across six locations in California. Technology partners also involved in this project included Team Penske sponsors such as Shell, Hitachi, and Siemens.

Currently, PTL operates 10 Freightliner eCascadia day cab tractors and 10 Freightliner eM2 fully electric box trucks running regular routes to customers around Southern California with a focus forward on sustainability.