A technology company based in Los Angeles-based, Thor Trucks, has surprised the heavy-duty trucking community revealing its own electric truck titled the ET-One.
Thor claims the ET-One will target short-haul markets with a mudular battery configuration allowing up to 1MWh or 480km range.
Thor claims that it understands payload capacity is crucial to a fleet operation and that it has designed its battery pack with this in mind while also not specifying the weight of the batteries,
Thor uses a cylindrical lithium-ion cell format that can reportedly be charged from depletion to full in 90 minutes.
According to local newswire Trucks.com, Thor is using a modified Navistar chassis, heavy-duty Dana axles, and electric motors from Hydro-Quebec’s TM4.
ET-One’s regenerative braking system allows for extended range, less maintenance, and improved safety, Thor said.
Thor Trucks CEO, Dakota Semler, said he formed the company with COO, Giordano Sordoni, with the goal of building a practical EV solution that could be implementable and on the road now or at least in the very near future.
“I grew up around the trucking industry and have been in love with cars and trucks my whole life – I also know the heavy cost that all-diesel fleets have on the environment and I’ve always felt there was a better way,” said Semler.
“We wanted to show the world that you don’t have to be a big original equipment manufacturer, like a Ford or GM, or a tech mogul with deep pockets to start making progress in this space.”
ET-One price ranges from $150,000 to $250,000 depending on vehicle configuration, and production is expected in 2019.
