Automotive

Mack drives out MD Electric medium-duty truck with 240 miles of range

The MD Electric features a 260-hp motor and either a 140-mile or a 230-mile battery pack
Mack Trucks
The MD Electric features a 260-hp motor and either a 140-mile or a 230-mile battery pack
Mack Trucks

Mack Trucks, which is part of the Volvo Group, has announced its second EV option, following the launch of the LR model in 2016 and subsequent availability in 2021. The medium-duty truck is an electric version of the company's MD diesel vehicle.

Introduced at the National Truck Equipment Association's 2023 Work Truck Show in Indianapolis last week, the Mack MD Electric's three-phase electric motor puts out 260 horses (194 kW) of peak power for up to 1,850 lb.ft (2,508 Nm) of torque.

The medium-duty electric truck can be had with 150-kWh or 240-kWh Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt-Oxide lithium-ion battery packs with up to 140 miles (225 km) of per-charge range for the two-battery configuration and 230 miles (370 km) with three batteries onboard. There's support for 19.2-kW AC charging and 80-kW DC fast charging, and regenerative braking is also cooked in to recover energy during the multiple stops of its expected work day.

Five different wheelbase options are available to suit various dry/refrigeration, stake/flatbed or dump needs, with Mack saying that drivers of the MD6 flavor won't need a Commercial Driver's License for hauling non-hazardous payloads.

The MD Electric is available in Class 6 or Class 7 configurations – both exempt from the 12% Federal Excise Tax – and is reported capable of hauling a maximum payload of 19,400 lb (8,800 kg). Elsewhere, a durable steel front bumper "stands up to the toughest jobs" while power-sipping LED headlights brighten up the way ahead.

Dual-air cab suspension helps smooth out the bumps for the driver, who is treated to an air-suspension ergonomic seat with high-density foam cushions, and external noise is kept to a minimum thanks to insulation installed around the cab.

"The Mack MD Electric joins the full lineup of Class 6 to 8 vehicles Mack offers to help customers meet their application needs," said Mack Trucks North America president, Jonathan Randall. "Building on the success of the diesel-powered Mack MD Series, the Mack MD Electric will help our customers meet their sustainability goals without sacrificing the durability, reliability and total cost of ownership for which Mack is known."

Pricing and availability information has yet to be revealed. The video below has more.

Source: Mack Trucks

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1 comment
paul314
Sounds good for medium-haul. Especially (perhaps ironically) for the automotive industry, where just-in-time manufacturing has endless convoys of trucks between factories in cities not that far apart.