Freightliner owner Daimler unveils new medium-duty electric truck brand

Freightliner owner Daimler Truck is launching a new brand of electric class 4 and 5 trucks, the company announced Thursday.

The new brand, Rizon, will sell and service the zero-emission vehicles exclusively through the commercial vehicle outlet Velocity Vehicle Group in the U.S., starting with deliveries in California and New York in the fourth quarter of 2023.

"Our Rizon trucks do everything a diesel truck does without the diesel," said Karl Deppen, a member of Daimler Truck's supervisory board, during Thursday's presentation.Also on Thursday, Daimler's U.S. division along with NextEra Energy Resources and BlackRock Alternatives said Greenlane will be the name of their joint venture that will build and operate a public charging and hydrogen fueling network for medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The partners are starting with $650 million in funding for the network. The first sites will be in Southern California.

Rizon will initially release three models with two lithium iron phosphate battery options — one with a range of 110 miles, and the other with a range of 160 miles per charging cycle. The trucks, designed for city deliveries, will match with a variety of standard bodies. Fleets can make orders immediately, and production will begin in Japan in August.

The Rizon trucks will be equipped with both AC and faster DC chargers as standard features, as well as steel cages enclosing the battery packs to prevent damage in crashes. Rizon also will include driver-assist features such as active brake assist and active sideguard assist.

Daimler said the trucks will be supported by an ecosystem to provide setup and charging infrastructure, timely repairs, parts availability, financing and telematics.

The company did not provide pricing details.

Marina Tokoro, a spokesperson for the German truck manufacturer, said in an email that the company "cannot disclose our pricing strategy or further details at this time due to competitive reasons," but Brad Fauvre, the president of Velocity Vehicle Group, said during the presentation that upfront prices would be "comparable" to diesel class 4 and 5 trucks.

In their comments, executives positioned Daimler as the experienced and reliable manufacturer in the market, while the unspoken comparison was newer electric truck brands that have faced investor revolts, government probes and a draining cash supply. The company also owns the Mercedes-Benz and Western Star truck brands.

Daimler is a "stable organization and we are here to stay," and it has the "experience of a global OEM backed by a dealer network," said Deppen.

As the federal government and states such as California lead the push to electric vehicles, startups including Harbinger Motors and XOS Trucks are looking to meet the needs of fleets trying to make the transition.

California plans to require that all medium- and heavy-duty truck operations in the state be zero-emission by 2045.

As demand ramps up, so must supply, though electric vehicle battery materials competition and shortages have slowed progress. Daimler said the company is confident it can offer a robust supply of vehicles to the market for Rizon and other brands.

Daimler Truck is now a standalone truck builder following its December 2021 spinoff from the corporate parent of the Mercedes-Benz car business.