A new electric powertrain, suitable for a wider range of applications, will be rolled out by Peterbilt in the coming year. And it presents the truck maker with the opportunity to offer, for the first time, an electric version of its Model 567 vocational truck.

Up till now, Cummins’ Accelera division has been the battery-electric powertrain provider to Peterbilt. However, thanks to a joint-venture with Accelera by Cummins and Daimler Truck, Peterbilt has been able to optimize the design of the electric powertrain that will power future versions of its BEVs (battery-electric vehicles).

Ground has been broken at the Mississippi plant that will produce that powertrain, but production there won’t begin until 2027. In the meantime, another supplier will build the Paccar e-powertrain to the company’s own specifications.

Erik Johnson, assistant general manager, sales and marketing with Peterbilt, recently offered a product update to trucking journalists. An updated version of the 579EV will be able to achieve 150-200 miles (240-320 km) of range, ideal for drayage or on-highway applications, Johnson noted.

The truck has been aesthetically updated as well, with a new grille, display bars and accents that clearly identify it as being an EV.

The 567EV is Peterbilt’s first conventional electric vocational offering and will get up to 250 miles (400 km) of range. The additional range compared to the 579EV comes from Peterbilt’s ability to add a fifth battery pack to the chassis, while the 579 can only accommodate four.

Johnson claimed Peterbilt now has the “widest lineup of EVs in the industry.”

Asked how much interest there is among vocational truck buyers in EVs, he said “We are seeing quite a bit of interest,” citing applications such as utility, roll-off, and light dump.

Mitesh Naik, director of product planning and strategy, said there’s especially strong interest among utilities, who see the opportunity to effectively charge their fleet trucks for free using their own power supply.

“Customers recognize, ‘It’s our power,’ so it’s in essence power that is for free,” he said of utility customers.

Peterbilt’s first-generation EVs provided some valuable learnings, said chief engineer, Scott Newhouse. Mostly as it related to how and where components were packaged on the truck. One tangible result, he said, is an improved weight balance. The electric powertrain components have also matured and become more industrialized over their initial years in the field.

Such enhancements have contributed to an extra 50 miles (80 km) of range for the new 579EV.

Model 579EV

That new 579EVcan be spec’d with up to three battery capacities, offering maximum range of 200 miles (320 km). But fast charging times should relieve some concerns about range.

Paccar offers its own heavy-duty chargers, including a new 350-kW DC charger that can boost the truck up to 80% in slightly more than 90 minutes.

New in the 579EV is an electronic parking brake that automatically engages/disengages when the seatbelt is fastened or unfastened. This eliminates the risk of driver injury while exiting the cab without the parking brake engaged.

Peterbilt is also offering more active safety features, through Bendix Fusion with stop-and-auto-go, increasing driver comfort in slow-moving, stop-and-go driving. It also offers pedestrian detection and automatic braking.

Sharp-looking dash accents identify the 579EV as electric, and the in-cab 13-inch SmartDisplay provides the driver with infotainment features while the larger 15-inch driver display gives drivers all the information needed to monitor battery state of charge and other important details, including how well the driver is utilizing regenerative braking.

Model 567EV

Some of those stylings were carried over to the 567EV, including a blue accented crown and grille and EV-exclusive panels on the side of the hood.

It can accommodate up to four battery capacity options with a maximum range of 250 miles (400 km), heavily dependent, of course, on application. The 567 can be fitted with a range of bodies, or a fifth wheel to pull trailers.

Electric power take-off (ePTO) options are rated at 25 kW or 150 kW. “We did everything we could to make this easy for body companies,” said Jacob White, director of product marketing with Peterbilt.

A closer look

After a briefing on the new models, it was over to Texas Motor Speedway to get some seat time at the track. Patrick Wallace, EV and connected truck marketing manager with Peterbilt, explained the thinking that went into the new design.

The new powertrain, he said, offered advantages such as increasing the number of available wheelbase offerings. That’s thanks to a centrally driven motor, located where you’d find the transmission on a diesel truck.

“And that motor has everything packaged into it to drive the truck,” Wallace explained.

The motor offers three forward gears and one reverse gear. An inclinometer on the motor allows the truck to start out in first gear if heavily loaded or on a steep hill, but on flat terrain or under light load it’ll start out in second gear.

By opting against an electric axle design, Peterbilt’s able to maintain its conventional driveline, giving it more flexibility in terms of suspension offerings.

The 579EV is rated at 82,000 lb. GVWR. The power output of the 579EV, at 605 hp/1,850 lb.-ft., provides power similar to that of a 15-liter diesel, Wallace promised. Fully loaded on the track the 579EV got up to — and maintained — speed effortlessly.

The new e-powertrain also features three-stage regenerative braking, allowing for one-pedal driving and the corresponding reduction in brake wear, expected to be as much as 40%.

The batteries are of a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, as before. “It’s the perfect battery choice for commercial applications,” Wallace said. “You can use these vehicles for about 10 years or more before you actually need to replace the batteries.”

That’s the type of battery that will be churned out at the Mississippi joint venture operations when production begins.

The 579EV can be spec’d with chassis fairings for improved aero.

The 567EV, with its optional fifth battery, can carry up to a generous 625 kWh of capacity.

“We also paid special attention to body integration,” Wallace said, noting the ePTO can be controlled and monitored from within the cab.

Factory-installed lift axles are available on both models, for regions where they’re permitted. Peterbilt sees a big market for such trucks in California. However, it also has configurations available for other markets and it’s just beginning to tap into the segments in which the 567EV could be deployed.

“We’re actually building a rear loader refuse truck as well,” Wallace said. “So, there’s all sorts of great applications that you can do with these.”

Many of the electronic accessories have been packaged under the hood.

Operators will be able to remotely warm up a plugged-in truck to their desired temperature before arriving to begin a driving shift.

“The truck will wake up, like an hour before you’re set to depart, and it’ll warm up or cool these batteries and it’ll warm up or cool the cab to the temperature you set,” Wallace explained.