TITAN Freight System President and CEO Keith Wilson speaks in front of his company's new Freightliner eCascadia on July 30.

The first heavy-duty all-electric Freightliner truck to be put into service in Oregon was celebrated at a southeast Portland truck yard on Sunday.

The Electric Freightliner eCascadia’s initial assignment was driving dozens of guests around the large parking lot at TITAN Freight Systems.

They were among dozens of elected and appointed officials, business leaders, environmental activists, workers and family members who attended the kick-off party there.

“These heavy-duty electric trucks are a natural evolution in our journey to be a carbon neutral transportation company. We now have a new zero-emission, lower operating-cost tool to help us get closer to realizing our sustainability goals,” said company President and CEO Keith Wilson, a longtime advocate for reducing fossil fuel emissions in the trucking industry.

His current fleet of trucks runs on renewable diesel.

Others speaking at the event included Oregon U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, Metro President Lynn Peterson, and David Carson, vice president of sales and marketing for Daimler Truck North America, which built the Freightliner eCascadia in Portland.

“We are excited to partner with TITAN and introduce the first customer eCascadia to Oregon’s roads. Built in our Portland Manufacturing Truck Plant, we are proud to be able to do our part of creating a greener future in the community where we live and work,” Carson said.

According to Carson, the eCascadia can haul up to 82,000 pounds, go up to 230 miles on a full charge of electricity, and costs up to $400,000, which is far more than a diesel-powered equivalent because the technology is so new.

To reduce the costs for companies like TITAN, the federal and state governments are offering grants and tax credits that encourage purchases. TITAN plans to replace six of its current trucks with eCascadia’s this year, and add an addition three eM2 medium duty all-electric box trucks, also made by Freightliner. PGE also partnered on the project.

To prepare for the conversion, Wilson has installed electric charging stations at his yard at 6201 SE Lake Road. They include three 180 kWh DC Fast chargers that can recharge an eCascadia in two hours and three 60 kWh chargers that can recharge an eM2 in four hours.

All of the speakers praised Wilson’s commitment to the environment. Others included: PGE President and CEO Maria Pope; Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Director Leah Feldon; Oregon Business for Climate Executive Director Tim Miller; and Josh Lyons, president of the Oregon/SW Washington Market of KeyBank, which helped finance the purchase.

According to the speakers, transportation emissions account for 40% of all greenhouse gas emission and must be eliminated to achieve climate goals. Several said July was the hottest month in human history and a warning of climate disaster if temperatures are not reduced.

The answer is simple, said Merkley: “We just need to electrify everything.”

TITAN is a regional transportation company based in Portland specializing in overnight less-than-truckload freight service with seven service centers located in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Daimler Truck North America is headquartered in Portland on Swan Island.