Xos presents two new electric utility vehicles

The US American electric commercial vehicle manufacturer Xos (formerly Thor Trucks) has presented two new e-truck models: the Xos HDXT and the Xos MDXT. The company also unveiled an ecosystem for connected vehicles and there’s a strategic partnership with Allison Transmission.

The Xos HDXT is a 595 kW battery-electric tractor for US Class 8 trucks designed for fleets in regional transport. On a full charge, the vehicle is said to have a range of up to 230 miles (370 kilometres). Torque is stated at 49,600 Nm. It is the “highest torque currently offered by a commercial vehicle on the market”, Xos said in a statement. Payload is 56,000 pounds (25,401 kilograms) and gross vehicle weight is 82,000 pounds (about 37,190 kilograms).

The Xos MDXT is a US Class 6 or 7 battery truck, and the vehicle reportedly manages a range of up to 270 miles (434 kilometres). It offers a maximum torque of 21,700 Nm. The gross vehicle weight rating is between 23,000 to 33,000 pounds (10,434 to 14,970 kilograms). The MDXT is offered with a range of body configurations, such as a panel van, a flatbed and a refrigeration unit.

In the course of the presentation of the new products, Xos also named customers for the vehicles. The McLane Company, a supply chain services and distribution company, has agreed to a pilot programme of 10 Xos HDXT vehicles to explore environmentally friendly alternatives to its current fleet. US beverage wholesaler Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) has ordered five MDXT vehicles – the first battery-electric vehicles in its fleet, Xos added.

“We’re excited to collaborate with Xos and pilot their heavy-duty vehicles,” said Mark Bachman, Corporate Fleet Manager at McLane. “Xos stood out to us based on their successful track record of implementing innovative mobility solutions for other commercial fleets, so we look forward to exploring how they will help us reduce total cost of ownership while offering increased environmental sustainability.”

Xos also announced its new software called Xosphere. It is a fleet intelligence platform built on Xos’ proprietary connected vehicle technology and specifically designed to minimise an electric fleet’s total cost of ownership. Among other things, the platform enables fleet managers to monitor performance in real-time and receive alerts and over-the-air updates.

Xos also announced the conclusion of a strategic partnership with Allison Transmission. The goal: joint development of Class 7 and Class 8 heavy-duty electric vehicles. Allison has already delivered the first eGen Power-e-Axle hardware for integration, validation and testing in heavy-duty commercial vehicle platforms that Xos will develop and build, it said. Later this year, Allison is scheduled to deliver additional eGen Power 100S and 100D units to Xos.

“We’re honored to partner with Allison, a company that has a long history of innovation in the industry, on our common vision to improve the way the world works through advancing commercial vehicle technology,” said Giordano Sordoni, chief operating officer of Xos. “We believe that Allison’s differentiated e-Axle portfolio combined with its connectivity to fleet customers, established service channel, and reputation for delivering industry-leading reliability will allow Xos to accelerate our growth while enhancing the value we deliver to our customers.”

With reporting by Domenico Sciurti, Germany.

xostrucks.com (HDXT and MDXT), xostrucks.com (Allison)