Team Penske Showcases EV Freightliner ECascadia With Its IndyCar Transporter Fleet As Scott McLaughlin Goes For A Ride At Portland

The Penske Corporation clearly understands the value of ROI (Return on Its Investment) as it became one of the largest automotive and transportation companies in the world.

Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin gave Freightliner and Daimler a tremendous ROI when he drove his No. 3 Freightliner-sponsored Indy car to victory in the Grand Prix of Portland on Labor Day Weekend.

“That’s a great trip,” McLaughlin told me in a one-on-one after the race. “To win in front of Freightliner’s hometown is awesome. It was a great start to the week to see those people at Daimler and catch up with them. A lot of people came out to watch it. I held my end of the bargain and said I would win and got my car into victory lane.

“That’s a great return on their investment.”

It was a weekend that began with McLaughlin and Team Penske transport driver and crewmember Gary Yingst at Daimler Truck North America headquarters, where the special livery on the car and the Freightliner eCascadia were unveiled at Electric Island on August 31.

Electric Island is one of the fastest charging stations in the world, recharging the batteries that allow these heavy-duty semis to travel up to 230 miles with heavy loads, depending on conditions. It can be charged to 80 percent battery capacity (the recommended charge percentage) in 90 minutes, making it a truck suited for regional and local runs.

The IndyCar driver from New Zealand “drove” the truck on the American Truck Simulator at corporate headquarters before meeting with Daimler Truck North America employees, signing autographs and posing for photos.

McLaughlin’s beautiful black Chevrolet Indy car featured light-blue striping and detailing, to match the same color scheme on the eCascadia.

It was the same car that McLaughlin used to win the pole on September 3 and a dominant victory in the race on September 4.

Typically, at corporate events of this type, a show car is used instead of the race car. With this being a West Coast race, the team chose to spare the expense of delivering a show car to the Pacific Northwest and used the actual car McLaughlin was driving in the race.

Once the car was loaded back into the transporter, McLaughlin rode shotgun with Yingst for the 15-minute ride to Portland International Raceway.

Thanks to Team Penske and Daimler Truck North America, I had a chance to be part of the behind-the-scenes of this event and get a better understanding of what EV technology can mean to the transportation business and how IndyCar is taking sustainability seriously.

“It was something very cool to be a part of,” McLaughlin told me after the event while sitting in Roger Penske’s office on RP 1 – the team’s office motorhome. “Freightliner’s home base is Portland. That’s where its headquarters is. It was an opportunity for our Indy car to be transported to the race track from HQ to the race by an electric hauler. The eCascadia is an awesome piece of machinery and really cool to be part of that.

“Team Penske is very proud of that. They are one of the first companies in the world to receive an electric heavy-duty vehicle for their truck leasing company. Now, Daimler has set up an Electric Island for Heavy Duty and Medium Duty charging facility for electric cars and trucks. It was awesome to be a part of it, see it all. I think IndyCar and Penske take all of this very seriously.”

Under the leadership of Penske Corporation Chairman Roger Penske and President Bud Denker and Penske Logistics President Brian Hard, this is the latest in a long line of sustainability efforts the company has taken.

Penske is at the forefront of the commercial electric vehicle (EV) movement and has been supporting the use of alternative fueled vehicles for nearly 30 years. Penske Transportation Solutions operates and maintains one of the largest truck fleets with more than 372,000 vehicles.

For the past decade, the focus has also been on furthering the EV market in response to the increasing popularity within the industry. In 2018, Penske became the first commercial fleet in North America to take delivery of a fully electric truck from Daimler Truck North America.

The Penske team of environmental professionals has developed innovative and efficient ways to ensure resources are provided for more than 1,350 field locations to prevent or reduce environmental impacts, protect our associates, and achieve 100 percent compliance with local, state, and federal environmental regulations.

The availability of charging stations is a key concern for electric delivery trucks. Penske has implemented a network of heavy-duty electric high-speed charging stations in Southern California with select locations that are equipped with an innovative battery energy storage system designed to offset demand on the electricity grid during peak charging times.

Driving an electric truck is far different than the standard diesel-powered vehicles that have been part of the transportation system for the last 100 years.

According to Penske Corporation, truck drivers, who have been spending years operating diesel vehicles, are blown away by the experience of driving a battery-electric truck or tractor.

It is a dramatically quieter ride, a huge benefit to drivers, and it also alleviates the majority of the noise emitted externally, making for less disturbance in the neighborhoods where trucks operate.

The torque, acceleration, and ability to maintain speed on inclines is a unique capability of an electric powertrain. Again, this leads to an enhanced driver experience, but there’s an external impact here as well.

How many times have you been stuck behind a line of tractor- trailers, on an incline, on an interstate or highway?

With an eCascadia, the electric powertrain will provide consistent torque and speed.

The technology also features zero-tailpipe emissions, although there are still emissions created somewhere to create the energy that fuels a BEV.

This technology, however, will allow emissions at the source of energy production, as opposed to every single vehicle powerplant cruising the planet. It allows EV used to increasingly utilize clean, renewable energy as it becomes more available.

Roger Penske has extended these sustainability initiatives to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the NTT IndyCar Series. Penske purchased IMS, IndyCar, and the Indianapolis 500 from the Hulman-George Family on November 4, 2019.

Under Penske’s leadership, a variety of sustainability efforts have been unveiled.

All race tires for this year’s Indy 500 practice, qualifications and Race Day were delivered to the “Racing Capital of the World” from Firestone’s Central Indiana warehouse using the Freightliner eCascadia from Penske Logistic’s fleet of electric vehicles.

The Firestone Firehawk guayule race tire made its competition debut as the alternate race tire in August at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. It is partially composed of a new sustainable natural rubber derived from the guayule (y-U-lee) shrub, which requires less harvesting than traditional sources of rubber.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway took significant steps toward cleaner energy consumption and a lowered carbon footprint across the Month of May. In 2021, all electricity consumed throughout the facility in May will continue being purchased via 100 percent renewable energy credits.

The Indianapolis 500 is now a certified responsible event by the Council for Responsible Sport (Council).

This is the first time a motorsports event has achieved the distinction and marks a key milestone for one of sports’ most iconic events.

“This is an important milestone for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as we work toward our goal of becoming carbon negative,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “As the world’s largest single-day sporting event, we know we have an opportunity to be a leader in encouraging other major events to strive toward sustainability and positive social impact. We are grateful that the Council for Responsible Sport has helped provide us with a road map to accomplish this important task and mission, which aligns with the goals and values of IMS and Penske Entertainment.”

Beginning in 2023, Shell will produce a new race fuel for the IndyCar Series. This new product consists of a blend of second-generation ethanol derived from sugarcane waste and other biofuels to create a fuel that is 100 percent comprised of feedstocks categorized as “renewable” under the applicable regulatory frameworks.

Although the race cars continue to use Internal Combustion Engines (ICE), a hybrid-assist component will be added to the engines beginning in 2024.

“It’s important because there is a lot of chatter about it but not much action from many series,” McLaughlin said. “IndyCar is going to the forefront with Penske Entertainment and IndyCar itself working with our brands like Shell and Freightliner and Daimler and everyone else. It’s really important.

“You can talk as much as you want, but if you don’t have people supporting the series like Shell, Firestone, Freightliner and Daimler, it’s hard to put that stuff into action. These companies have been really great with everything, setting everything up, making sure we are using renewable sources and making our category as sustainable as it can be for a motorsport series.

“From a driver’s perspective, that makes our jobs look well going into the future and something we can take on board as drivers and really promote that.

“We know it is not the most sustainable way to have a sport, but we are doing our best to make it better and better every year and IndyCar is doing its best to be on top of it.”

Mary Aufdemberg is the General Manager of Product Strategy and Market Development, Daimler Truck North America.

She understands how important it is to DTNA to be involved with companies such as Penske Truck Leasing and Penske Truck Rental to the company’s business structure.

“Today is a really exciting event for Freightliner,” Aufdemberg said. “We have a longstanding partnership with Penske Trucks. To be able to put that on display for everybody in the Indy world with the electric semi pulling it and the beautifully wrapped Indy car, it’s a really great way to display the partnership we have together.

“Penske is a great partner with us in trucking. We appreciate the innovation that we are able to do on the trucking side having them as a partner because they run so many trucks within their fleet and support the whole commerce ecosystem. One thing we have done with Penske over the years is the co-creation of our trucking product. How we make it better for our customers.

“Because of Penske’s weight in the industry, we have been able to make the trucks better for their drivers and for their business. In the end, we want our customers to be really successful in what they do. That is why we are able to partner really close with Penske.”

To see McLaughlin’s Indy car in front of the company’s headquarters located just three to five miles from Portland International Raceway, it made perfect sense from a brand marketing standpoint to showcase the products.

“I can say walking out of headquarters today and seeing the wrapped semi, the wrapped Indy car, the actual Indy car that was going to be on the track, was very, very exciting,” Aufdemberg said. “It shows the commitment both companies have to sustainability. That’s thrilling.

“The eCascadia is a big step forward for the trucking industry with regards to battery electric vehicles. We know the Class A on-highway product is a really important product for sustainability in the United States. We are excited to be part of that. We are excited to have Penske be a part of that to help us achieve a more sustainable future.

“It’s really exciting to be able to partner with Penske on this and forge forward in the transition of the industry in the zero emissions space. To be able to do that with Indy, with a wrapped car, with an eCascadia semi, which is the best-selling truck on the road is very exciting for us.

“I think we will continue to grow our partnership and work together long into the future.”

Climbing into a big rig, whether it is powered by diesel or EV, is something familiar to McLaughlin. His family is involved in the transportation business in the Southern Hemisphere.

“I’ve got a few miles with my dad in the passenger seat,” McLaughlin said. “I’ve got my truck license. My Dad owned 75-plus trucks in New Zealand and Australia. It’s something I grew up in the industry with trucking.

“To have this partnership with Daimler and Freightliner is pretty special for me and it’s close to home. I’m excited to be at Electric Island, the first of its kind in the world for medium heavy-duty trucks.

“From our perspective as drivers, this is a thing to keep our sport sustainable. To have sustainable products, with the fully sustainable fuel from Shell, the Guayule tire that Firestone has brought out that is coming from a shrub that is unbelievable how they produced a tire that was able to perform so well.

“Then to be a part of something like this for Freightliner and Daimler has been fantastic with the eCascadia. For us to do anything we can do to push the renewable sources and sustainability for our planet is something special and will take our sport to the next level.”

As the automotive industry moves away from petroleum-based engines to electric vehicles, what happens to auto racing? There are several electric racing series in the world including Formula E, how long before IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500 have to switch to that technology?

“It’s inevitable that it will happen,” McLaughlin said. “I don’t know the timeline, but I’m glad IndyCar is getting introduced to it with the fuels and the trucks and the tire to be sustainable and renewable. I think it is important for us moving forward as a category 10 or 20 years down the track. To have any introduction to this space is a good thing and will be beneficial for us in the future and hopefully, we’ll be at the forefront of this.

“I think ultimately that is what manufacturers and sponsors are asking for these days, if this is going to be sustainable for the future. It’s important to their company and their morals so it’s important that we go with the times.

“If you look at it, there are going to be people that aren’t going to accept it in some ways and you can’t change their opinion, but at the same time, the generations coming up now with our younger fans, that is being talked about more now compared to the way it used to be. It will be better received in future years to come because it has been educated from a very early age.”

Ever since the tobacco money was forced to exit sports advertising and sponsorships in the early 2000s, Team Penske switched to the “Business-to-Business” model in terms of branding and sponsorship.

Take a look at the list of team sponsors on Penske’s cars in both IndyCar and NASCAR, and its companies that have an existing and productive relationship with the Penske Corporation, specifically its automotive businesses.

By showcasing the eCascadia and bringing it into its IndyCar fleet, provides key exposure to Daimler and Freightliner.

McLaughlin did his part by driving to victory in dominant fashion, leading all but six laps in the 110-laps contest.

From “B-to-B” to “ROI” – McLaughlin understood the most important letters of the alphabet during his weekend in Portland.

“That’s huge,” McLaughlin said. “Penske Truck Leasing took hold of the first electric truck and that has been a big thing for the company. We’ve been towed by Freightliner since 1984 with our race team. Freightliner is a big part of our family and us moving forward as a company. Roger Penske is amazing with the B-to-B and hopefully we can continue this relationship for many years to come.

“I met a lot of very smart people. I met a lady that had a PhD in battery chemistry. A very smart lady talking about hybrid technology. A lot of smart people there, a lot of people really interested in IndyCar racing, what we are doing with Freightliner, and it was exciting to see the collaboration.

“There were a few in there that were comparing the car to a Formula One car or what’s the difference. Explaining to them this is a spec series with the same chassis, we have changes with the suspension and stuff we can go do as a team, they slowly got into it.

“There were a lot of people that weren’t coming to the race that weekend, but they decided to come out. That is what was exciting and why we do that sort of stuff.”