ATLANTA, Ga. – Navistar will guide its move toward an electrified future with a new business unit known as Next eMobility Solutions – and one of the goals will be to introduce medium-duty electric trucks by early 2021.

The goal is to focus on more than the trucks themselves, consulting with fleet customers to develop customized solutions.

“Companies interested in operating electric trucks have more questions than answers. They are looking for a partner who also brings clarity,” said Persio Lisboa, Navistar executive-vice president and chief operating officer. “Next combines the technical expertise required to develop leading electric vehicles with the industry experience to deliver custom solutions that go beyond the vehicle.”

Electric models developed under the business group will be offered under the International Truck and IC Bus nameplates, and supported by their respective dealers.

Individual implementation plans will be developed by drawing together experts in the trucks, charging infrastructure, and telematics, with the goal of optimizing each product for its use and duty cycle.

Partnerships will be established to set up charging solutions, while Navistar’s OnCommand Connection platform will be used to monitor performance and offer service support.

The team itself will report to Gary Horvat, vice-president for eMobility. He previously led the development of electric buses at Proterra, and was responsible for developing powertrain and electrical components at Denso International.

The news was unveiled at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show, where the OEM displayed the prototype of an electric International MV medium-duty truck, known as the eMV.

Features of the truck include a redesigned hood, and an electric motor offering peak power of more than 474 kW, or the equivalent of 645 hp. The continuous power reaches 300 kW, or more than 400 hp.

While a prototype, it can accommodate battery capacities of 107 to 321 kilowatt hours. In a typical pickup and delivery application, an eMV would be able to travel about 400 km on a single charge of a 321 kWh battery.