Freightliner owner Daimler Truck is launching a new brand of electric class 4 and 5 trucks, the company announced Thursday.
The new brand, Rizon, will sell and service the zero-emission vehicles exclusively through the commercial vehicle outlet Velocity Vehicle Group in the U.S., starting with deliveries in California and New York in the fourth quarter of 2023.
“Our Rizon trucks do everything a diesel truck does without the diesel,” said Karl Deppen, a member of Daimler Truck’s supervisory board, during Thursday’s presentation.
Also on Thursday, Daimler’s U.S. division along with NextEra Energy Resources and BlackRock Alternatives said Greenlane will be the name of their joint venture that will build and operate a public charging and hydrogen fueling network for medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The partners are starting with $650 million in funding for the network. The first sites will be in Southern California.
Rizon will initially release three models with two lithium iron phosphate battery options — one with a range of 110 miles, and the other with a range of 160 miles per charging cycle. The trucks, designed for city deliveries, will match with a variety of standard bodies. Fleets can make orders immediately, and production will begin in Japan in August.
The Rizon trucks will be equipped with both AC and faster DC chargers as standard features, as well as steel cages enclosing the battery packs to prevent damage in crashes. Rizon also will include driver-assist features such as active brake assist and active sideguard assist.
Daimler said the trucks will be supported by an ecosystem to provide setup and charging infrastructure, timely repairs, parts availability, financing and telematics.
The company did not provide pricing details.
