Mack Trucks announced today that PITT OHIO recently ordered four Mack® MD Electric models for regional deliveries in both Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “Mack Trucks is proud to support PITT OHIO in its emissions reduction efforts,” said Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America. “We look forward to continuing to work with PITT OHIO and our other battery-electric vehicle (BEV) customers as they navigate the sustainability journey by offering a total ecosystem of support.”
Based in Pittsburgh, PITT OHIO offers LTL (Less-than-Truckload) and Supply Chain Services in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S. Once the MD Electric models are added to its fleet, PITT OHIO will have 10 BEVs. PITT OHIO’s fleet currently has 930 diesel-powered Class 8 tractors, the majority of which are Mack, and 475 Class 7 straight trucks. The relationship with Mack as well as the technology capabilities influenced the decision to purchase the Mack MD Electric to represent the straight truck portion of the project. PITT OHIO’s Harrisburg terminal is being upgraded to include the proper infrastructure to support a partial site electrification of the fleet. It is expected to be completed in Q1 2025. PITT OHIO acquired grants through the state of Pennsylvania as part of their MD HD ZEV Fleet Demonstration Project for all of the vehicles.
“We have a long-standing partnership with Mack on the conventional vehicle side,” said Taki Darakos, PITT OHIO vice president, vehicle maintenance and fleet services. “We had anxiously been anticipating the work they did as it pertained to electrification. Our early steps in electrification came out of our relationship with Mack.”
Developed specifically for medium-duty applications, the Mack MD Electric is built with the same focus on reliability, durability and productivity customers have come to expect from a Mack truck. Designed with the heavy-duty quality of its diesel-powered counterparts, the MD Electric is available in 4×2 configurations featuring a sharp wheel cut for enhanced maneuverability in tight urban settings.
Produced at the Mack Roanoke Valley Operations (RVO) facility in Salem, Virginia, the Mack MD Electric can be configured as a Class 6 or Class 7 vehicle. The Class 6 model has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 25,995 pounds, and the Class 7 model has a GVWR of 33,000 pounds. Both models are exempt from the 12 percent Federal Excise Tax (FET).
The MD Electric features a three-phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous 260 horsepower motor powered by Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) Oxide lithium-ion batteries, rated at 240kWh. “We believe that this order will help jump-start our electrification activities, and we’ve really allowed the technology to come to us rather than force it,” Darakos said. “We believe the Mack MD Electric vehicles will provide the best range and payload from a value standpoint. We are excited that the current capabilities should be able to mimic 85% of our conventional box truck fleet in terms of range and payload.”
PITT OHIO’s Mack MD Electric vehicles will be serviced and supported by TransEdge Truck Centers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The MD Series cab design features a short bumper-to-back-of-cab (BBC) measurement of 103 inches, an industry best. Similar to the diesel-powered Mack MD Series, Mack matched the bold look and styling of the Mack Anthem®, Mack’s highway model, as a basis for the MD Electric grille and hood design. The MD Electric will meet the needs of trucking applications requiring dry van/refrigerated, stake/flatbed and dump vocations. The MD6 model does not require a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) to operate for non-hazardous payloads.