Navistar First Launching eStar All-Electric Truck Sales in Portland, Oregon
25 May 2010
Portland, Oregon will be the initial launch market for Navistar’s new eStar electric truck. (Earlier post.)
Navistar also announced its eStar dealer for the Pacific Northwest market: Cascadia International Trucks of Tacoma, Wash.
The eStar all-electric truck is the first medium-duty commercial vehicle to receive US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certification as a clean fuel fleet vehicle as well as California Air Resources Board (CARB) certification as a zero-emissions vehicle.
This Class 2c-3 electric truck has a range of 100 miles per charge, making it ideal for many urban applications. When it returns to its home base at the end of the day, it can be plugged in and fully recharged within six to eight hours.
The eStar meets all Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standards (FMVSS) and Navistar is now taking orders and building these all-electric trucks.
Sales of the eStar all-electric vehicle are conducted through a wholly owned Navistar affiliate. The eStar truck is produced through the Navistar-Modec EV Alliance, LLC, the joint venture between Navistar, Inc. and Modec Limited of the United Kingdom.
If I operated such vehicles, I would find a place to put a Honda Generator, that might not ever be used, just so that the truck could always return from a extra long trip and especially so that it would never have to be mentioned again that the truck had only a 100 mile range. Be it ever so slow, it would have an infinite range like most of your cars are considered to have.
The generator could be started early when the computer predicted that there was not enough charge in the battery to finish the whole day, so the vehicle could be continue to be used at, at least, nearly full speed. It would be left charging at all stops. One could stop for a snack to give more time for a charge that would allow a nearly full speed return. Cars use much less power and energy when operated at lower speeds, so even a small engine can move a large vehicle at slow speeds. The per mile energy use is also lower at low speeds.
The Honda would have its inverter pulled out and reprogrammed for operating at peak direct current output right into the battery. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 25 May 2010 at 01:01 PM
Such a common sense idea HG. Why isn't it done?
Posted by: HarveyD | 25 May 2010 at 03:41 PM