Dana unveils full electric terminal tractor, announces partnerships with truck OEs to provide electric powertrain technology

Dana Incorporated unveiled a truck built with the company's fully electric powertrain. Built in partnership with Lonestar Specialty Vehicles (Lonestar SV), the vehicle is a refurbishment of a diesel vehicle converted into a fully electrified terminal tractor. 

Lonestar SV, founded in 2014, specializes in the final stage assembly and refurbishment of commercial vehicles, and other innovative vehicle application solutions.  Dana’s e-Powertrain system can be adapted by Lonestar SV into a vehicle with a non-powered rolling chassis, or existing vehicles with diesel engines can be converted into all-electric trucks.  

The solution can be used to extend the useful life of a fleet’s capital investment by repowering and refurbishing an existing chassis.  It also allows for recycling of a chassis for further carbon footprint reduction. 

“Utilizing our recognized strength in the development of complete battery-electric vehicle systems, Dana engineered the electric powertrain from the ground up,” said Mark Wallace, president of Dana Commercial Vehicle Driveline Technologies.  “This competency, augmented with Lonestar’s extensive vehicle assembly and refurbishing experience, provides fleets the ability to immediately outfit terminal tractors with complete electrified systems for reduced emissions and increased operating efficiencies.” 

Historically known for its portfolio of axles and drivetrain components, Dana has been working into the electromobility space with a number of recent acquisitions including TM4, SME Group, Oerlikon, and Nordresa. These acquisitions have set the path for Dana to be a one-stop e-powertrain provider. 

 The powertrain provided by Dana includes the motor, inverter, power electronics cradle, and battery systems.  The collaboration also includes full vehicle integration education and training from the Dana team, allowing Lonestar SV to complete the vehicle integration in-house.  

“Lonestar is excited to be working with Dana to bring our electrified terminal tractor solution to the market,” said Blake Yazel, general manager for Lonestar Specialty Vehicle Group.  “It provides customers with an environmentally friendly solution for increased uptime and lower service intervals, adding tremendous value to our product offerings.” 

 The vehicle has a gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 80,000 or 101,000 pounds, and is offered in 4x2, 6x2, and 6x4 configurations.  The electrified system can be customized to meet individual range requirements.  The Lonestar SV T22 and S22 models allow for 22 hours of continuous operation with only two hours required for a full battery recharge.  The T12 and S12 models allow for 12 hours of continuous operation and are equipped with DC fast-charging capability. 

A follow-up to the success of the Lonestar SV vehicle, Dana also confirmed recent partnerships with two truck manufacturers to provide its electric powertrain knowledge and products. 

Dana will supply the Spicer Electrified powertrain technologies for a medium duty vehicle development program in 2020, with an expected vehicle launch date of early 2021.  fully designed, integrated, and upfitted to the customer’s chassis by Dana.  The three-year program is expected to generate approximately $200 million in incremental sales to Dana, with vehicles available for order from the manufacturer in the second half of 2020. 

Dana will supply a direct drive system, which uses a motor to power the axle and driveshaft. The full system will include Dana-supplied components, including: 

• a Spicer Electrified e-Propulsion system, comproised of a Dana TM4 motor and inverter;   
• a Spicer Electrified e-Power system, which generates, stores, and manages the energy for the vehicle.  This system consists of the battery packs, battery management system, on-board charger, power electronics cradle, and electrified auxiliary systems; and 
• Dana-developed software and controls that will enable the diagnostics and telemetry of the system, as well as thermal management. 

Separately, Dana has also secured a new e-Powertrain development project with a second leading truck manufacturer. The announcement was made at the North American Commercial Vehicle show.

Dana is partnering with a second truck manufacturer on an electrified vehicle development platform that will incorporate a Dana TM4 SUMO HP motor.  Ideal for high-power applications, this motor is purposely developed for both hybrid and battery electric configurations. 

“The recent acquisition of Nordresa, a recognized leader in electric commercial vehicle integration, serves as an enabler for Dana to expand the development and integration of clean, electric powertrains to deliver higher efficiency and lower cost of ownership,” said Mark Wallace, president of Commercial Vehicle Drive  Technologies for Dana.  “These new vehicle programs leverage Dana’s complete e-Powertrain products and capabilities, while demonstrating our ability to deliver end-to-end turnkey electric systems for our customers, which will, in turn, provide Dana profitable growth through electrified system sales.”

To date, Dana’s e-Propulsion technologies have been featured on more than 16,000 commercial vehicles globally and have been driven more than 600 million miles.  This has resulted in the reduction of nearly 160,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, allowing customers to reduce the use of diesel fuel by nearly 3.5 billion gallons.