Cummins Beats Tesla in Race to Unveil Electric Truck
Engine maker Cummins claims to have beaten Tesla to the punch as they unveiled their first concept vehicle powered by an all-electric powertrain, a development that the company calls a first for the industry. The 140 KWh concept truck was revealed to the media on Tuesday, Aug. 29.
Cummins unveiled a zero-emissions truck powered by an all-electric powertrain in its technology center in Columbus, Indiana. The truck, at 18,000 pounds, as built by Roush, is a short-ranged electric vehicle designed for local deliveries, according to the Indy Star.
The new truck called AEOS, named after Greek mythology's four-winged horse that pulled the chariot of the sun god across the sky, can ferry up to 44,000 pounds of freight and takes just an hour to fully charge.
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Cummins has initially announced last June that the company will be working on electric powertrains for buses. This reveal is another direction that the company is making to reach alternate markets, as Julie Furber, executive director of electrification for Cummins, explained.
"Initially, these products will service the transit bus market, but this is just the beginning," she said. "We are going to take electrification to all our markets and the applications that we serve when the time is right. This truck enables us to demonstrate that electrified powertrains will be viable," the electrification director added.
While Cummins may have come up with a concept truck for short range deliveries, electric carmaker Tesla is aiming for something that will go farther, in terms of range, at least. The carmaker is planning for their trucks to go for 200 to 300 miles between charges, according to Reuters.
Chief executive Elon Musk has shared their plan to release a prototype Tesla semi truck next month. The prototype, if proven successful, is expected to greatly disrupt the industry that is entirely dependent on conventional diesel powertrains for now.
The video below shows the unveiling of the concept truck, as captured by James Briggs of the Indy Star.
