Photo: Kenworth
Kenworth 270E

Kenworth collaborates with Dana on battery-electric K270E

Jan. 14, 2020
Truck maker also shows Level 4 autonomous T680 at CES.

As the electric commercial vehicle market slowly begins to grow, there are an increasing number of companies vying for a slice of that segment.  

Steve Slesinski, director of product planning for the commercial vehicle market at Dana Holding Corp., believes fleets would be best served to stick with those “leveraging proven experience in the commercial vehicle market.”

Slesinski and Brian Lindgren, research and development director at Kenworth Truck Co., spoke with Fleet Owner at CES as their companies announced a collaboration on electric powertrain development and displayed a K270E battery-electric vehicle.

The medium-duty cabover was equipped with the Spicer Electrified e-propulsion system that is fully integrated to the chassis. 

“The medium-duty market is ripe and ready for battery-electric vehicles,” said Slesinski. He added there are more than 15,000 vehicles around the globe currently using a similar e-propulsion system from Dana being used in the K270E.

Slesinski explained that after Kenworth builds out the chassis, it will be shipped to a Dana facility in Canada in order to install the full e-propulsion system. It then will return to the Kenworth factory to undergo testing and validation before being released for sale. The electric powertrain will be available with range options between 100 miles and 200 miles. The high-energy density battery packs can be recharged in about an hour using the vehicle’s DC fast-charging system. 

Dana announced a similar venture with Peterbilt Motors on the Model 220EV, which was first shown at CES in 2019.

At this year’s event, Kenworth also brought along a Level 4 autonomous T680. This proof-of-concept truck was conceived and constructed at the Paccar Innovation Center.

Stephan Olsen, general manager of the center, said the special T680 is equipped with nine total cameras, three LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors, and radars to sense the overall road environment and the surroundings.

About the Author

Neil Abt

Neil Abt, editorial director at Fleet Owner, is a veteran journalist with over 20 years of reporting experience, including 15 years spent covering the trucking industry. A graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., he began his career covering sports for The Washington Post newspaper, followed by a position in the newsroom of America Online (AOL) and then both reporting and leadership roles at Transport Topics. Abt is based out of Portland, Oregon.

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