ANAHEIM, California—International Motors’ newest electric truck is about its future and yours.
The OEM used the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo here in Southern California to introduce its newest electric vehicle, the International eRH Series, a Class 8 regional tractor. The truck maker’s leader said that International is well-positioned for the future of transportation as both an OEM and a customer partner.
The corporate buzz words du jour are “pause” and “uncertainty,” International Chief Executive Mathias Carlbaum told FleetOwner on April 29. But while there might be some questions about short-term zero-emission adoption rates, International is focused on its destination.
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“In the long term, I’m the first to say you need to stand on your own legs,” he said. “You have to earn that yourself, and you have to have a TCO (total cost of ownership)that pays the bills—otherwise you never scale.”
Despite today’s uncertainties, after meeting with some unnamed large fleet customers here this week, he said there is still an appetite for zero-emission vehicles.
“In their case, it’s either for their organization to meet internal targets or it’s because they see where the future is heading, and they don’t want to be caught behind,” he said.
While he acknowledged that there is more interest from large fleets in trying out battery-electric transportation, he said International expects some interest from smaller operations that want to be part of the cutting edge.
“There’s enough substance and critical volume in the years to come for us to continue on this learning journey—not the scale journey,” he said of scaling up mass BEV adoption. “The scale journey needs to come through TCO, together with the learning, and as a base that will lead to the next step.”
