Kenworth has updated its T680E battery-electric truck to offer faster charging and higher torque and range capabilities. It also introduced the new Kenworth T880E, one of the industry’s first vocational Class 8 battery-electric trucks.
“We not only want to have a vehicle that exceeds our customers’ expectations, but we’re adding to that, and (we) really want to make an advanced portfolio of powertrains so that we have an application for every job,” Kenworth Chief Engineer Joe Adams said at the Paccar Technical Center in Mount Vernon, Washington, earlier this April.
The T680E and T880E feature the new Paccar-integrated ePowertrain with a centrally mounted drive motor, delivering up to 605 peak horsepower and 1,850 lb.-ft. of torque. The updated design allows for greater flexibility in wheelbase options and enhances vehicle drivability.
Adams said the trucks have been in development for about five years.
“We made a conscious effort to start this program some time ago, knowing we wanted to build a ground-up system and knowing that in order for it to drive like a Kenworth, we needed to have the capability of pulling all the components together, knowing we wanted to have broad application coverage," he said.
Inside the cab, both trucks feature an upgraded digital interface that offers drivers BEV-specific insights into range, regenerative braking and vehicle performance.
In addition, to enhance driver experience further, the new DriverConnect system integrates a 15-inch digital touchscreen, streamlining the operation of critical battery-electric functions. Drivers can also use Kenworth’s latest advanced driver assistance systems packages, which include DigitalVision Mirrors, Bendix fusion, and Lane Keeping Assist for added safety and convenience. Both are capable of handling gross vehicle weight ratings up to 82,000 lbs.
Both support CCS1 DC fast charging with a 350kW charge rate, enabling 90% charge in about two hours. This is a significant improvement over the T680E outgoing model’s 120kWs charging system that required around three hours for a full charge.
The next-generation T680E targets regional haul, LTL, and drayage operations and is offered as a day cab as either a tractor or straight truck in a 6x4 axle configuration. It features three customizable battery-string configurations, offering a maximum range of over 200 miles, up from approximately 150 miles in the previous model.
Design wise, the T680E features a cool exterior redesign, incorporating aerodynamic refinements such as the standard LED headlights with distinctive blue accents that complement the blue Kenworth badge, a signature of the company’s zero-emission lineup.
The new T880E is built specifically for vocational applications, Adams said, including construction and heavy-duty vocational work. It retains the rugged, multi-piece hood design of the diesel T880 and offers even greater flexibility, including set-forward or set-back axle configurations, lift axle installations, and factory-installed high- and low-voltage ePTO ports to power equipment like hydraulic pumps or mixers. The T880E also offers a larger battery option with 625 kWh of capacity, delivering a range of over 250 miles to support heavy vocational duties.
“When we go into the vocational space, there’s a lot of applications where there’s specific needs on the back half of the vehicle for load carrying capacity, specific applications,” Adams said.
The company is also simulating routes with around 46 trucks, taking in mileage and many different applications, from on-highway, regional pickup and delivery, as well as vocational trucks that are being put through edge case scenarios, that involves extreme situations or conditions to test its systems.
Adams said they have winter and summer tests in various facilities, as well as electromagnetic radiation testing and durability testing. “We’re going into those extreme environments and really beating the trucks up, so we know what their capabilities are. That’s just kind of a flavor of the specific tests that are out there, and yes, almost all of them are running fully loaded so that we know what they’re capable of.”
While the T680E provides fleets with a highly efficient, zero-emission solution for regional and short-haul transportation, the T880E delivers the same level of innovation tailored to meet the tougher demands of vocational operations.
Adams said the trucks are available for order from Kenworth dealers in the U.S. and Canada, with serial production scheduled later in the second half of the year.
Talking about the current development around zero-emissions regulations, Kenworth marketing manager Sarah Abernethy noted, “We aren’t expecting everybody to buy every single BEV that comes out, but we do expect them to be part of a fleet solution. There are still companies that have ESG goals, and we still believe that these trucks will do an excellent job in a lot of applications.”
