Daimler Truck North America recently announced two investments at its headquarters complex on Swan Island: a new electric vehicle supply equipment training center near Electric Island and a new engineering facility at its campus.
The addition to Electric Island represents the next phase of testing and development of charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles since the first-of-its-kind public charging station was built in partnership with Portland General Electric and opened in 2021. The new training center will be used by DTNA dealers and as a resource center for community stakeholders interested in clean transportation. The anticipated project will cost $3 million with half of the costs being funded through a forgivable loan from Prosper Portland, the City of Portland’s economic development agency.
“Daimler Truck North America is proud to call Portland, Oregon, our home,” said John O’Leary, president and CEO of DTNA. “We appreciate the city and state’s support of our expansion plans to further promote the development and proper testing of advanced technology and look forward to collaborating for many more years to come on training and employing a future-ready workforce.”
See also: Daimler sets out to demonstrate how autonomous EVs could change trucking
The new DTNA engineering facility will be approximately 110,000 square feet in size and will consolidate testing activities under one roof with a focus on research and development for emerging propulsion technologies, such as battery-electric and hydrogen-fueled vehicles. The project is anticipated to cost $40 million and will be partially funded by the State of Oregon with a $700,000 forgivable loan from the state’s Strategic Reserve fund.
“Oregon is the location of choice for businesses leading clean technology innovation in the U.S.,” said Business Oregon Director Sophorn Cheang. “Our partnership with local and regional economic development leaders to support DTNA’s investment adds to the region’s competitiveness and will provide opportunities for our skilled workforce in manufacturing and engineering for years to come.”
