Daimler Truck North America Rolls Out Comprehensive Dealer Certification Program for Battery-Electric Vehicles
PORTLAND, Ore (Mar. 5, 2024)
– As the industry marches toward more sustainable transportation solutions,
Daimler Truck North America, LLC (DTNA) announces a comprehensive
Battery-Electric Vehicle (BEV) Dealer Certification Program that builds on the
foundations of the Elite Support program – a certified network of Freightliner dealers
committed to delivering superior customer experience throughout all areas of
dealership operations. With the heavy-duty Freightliner eCascadia and
medium-duty Freightliner eM2, DTNA has already deployed battery-electric trucks
in over 50 fleets across the country, logging over 4 million customer battery-electric
miles.
“After
several months of collaboration between DTNA and the Freightliner Dealer
Council Principals, representing over 40% of all dealer locations in the USA
and Canada, we are pleased to introduce and support the BEV Dealer Certification
Program that will become the model for our entire industry at providing a safe
and world-class customer experience for our battery-electric truck customers,”
states John Hopkins, co-chair of the Freightliner Dealer Council.
The in-depth and comprehensive BEV Dealer Certification
program covers all areas required to help customers navigate moving toward
emissions-free driving. Starting with Detroit eConsulting aiding customers in understanding
their infrastructure and vehicle optimization needs, to specing and maintaining
electric trucks, the certification encompasses every aspect of electrification.
Freightliner’s dealer network is investing substantially to meet the
requirements of the BEV Dealer Certification Program, which covers over 75
specific criteria in four key areas:
Safety
Comprehensive safety policy and training, nominating a frontline contact
person, and being fully equipped with high-voltage safety-specific equipment
Charging Infrastructure
Commercial vehicle charging infrastructure including stationary or mobile charging
solutions
Baseline competency to enable infrastructure and vehicle deployment readiness
activities backed by the expert-level support of the Detroit eConsulting team
Dealership Infrastructure
Dedicated BEV service bays, battery storage space and key parts stocking, plus
installation of safety signage
Training
BEV training and resources for the dealership personnel covering all aspects of
the dealership business; sales, service and parts
“Having our dealer network BEV certified benefits the market
as a whole. For customers owning or purchasing an electric vehicle in the near term,
it is likely their first experience with electrification in the heavy-duty
truck space. We see it as our responsibility to support them on their journey,”
states Drew Backeberg, senior vice president of aftermarket at DTNA. “For wider
market adoption, we need experts and safety leaders and we want to ensure that
our dealer network sets the standard high through our new BEV Dealer Certification
Program.”
Eight dealerships have already completed the rigorous certification
and the number is doubling in the coming weeks. With the growth of electric
vehicles and the deployment throughout North America, now is the time to
rapidly expand the optional BEV Dealer Certification throughout the
Freightliner dealer network, with a plan to have 100 dealer locations certified
by 2025.
DTNA has been a pioneer in commercial electric vehicle
development since 2018. Their electric lineup includes the Jouley, an
all-electric bus from Thomas Built Buses, available since 2020, the FCCC MT50e
walk-in van chassis for final mile delivery, available since 2021, and the
Class 8 Freightliner eCascadia, available since 2022. In 2023, DTNA added the eM2, with a 180-mile
range for Class 6 and 250 miles for Class 7, ideal for pick-up and delivery
customers who require an adaptable electric solution. DTNA's vocational
innovation program, launched last year, aims to provide zero-emission solutions
for vocational customers and expand eM2 coverage into more applications.
Daimler
Truck North America LLC, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a leading
provider of comprehensive products, services and technologies for the
commercial transportation industry. Daimler Truck North America designs,
engineers, manufactures and markets medium- and heavy-duty trucks, school
buses, vehicle chassis and their associated technologies and components under
the Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses, Freightliner Custom Chassis
Corp and Detroit brands. Daimler Truck North America is a subsidiary of Daimler
Truck Holding AG (DTG), one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle
manufacturers.
