WAKARUSA –– The first Navistar electric truck is a reality.

And it could soon be delivering a FedEx package to you.

Navistar officially began producing the trucks on its assembly line today at its Wakarusa plant in Elkhart County.

It is called the e-Star, and runs solely on electric power and can go 100 miles on one charge. Batteries can be replaced in about 20 minutes but take six to eight hours to recharge.

A total of 40 employees will be involved in the initial production in Wakarusa. The plant is expected to produce 400 vehicles this year and several thousand per year in coming years.

Company officials said Thursday in a teleconference that 700 employees would be added nationwide, including those at suppliers. They could not say how many of those additional jobs would end up in Elkhart County.

Navistar is deploying the urban commercial truck with the help of a $39 million grant in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds from the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the U.S. Department of Energy.

FedEx is the first company to purchase the trucks and has already driven one on Route 66 to Los Angeles.

“It’s very smooth and very quiet,” said Deborah Willig, of FedEx. “Our team members love driving it.”

Trucks are set for delivery this year to Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento areas.

The truck will be unveiled locally today at the Navistar plant.

For more on this story, read Friday’s South Bend Tribune.

Staff writer Jim Meenan:
jmeenan@sbtinfo.com
(574) 235-6342

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