I recently had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of Lion Electric’s eagerly awaited battery-electric Class 8 tractor.
The drive was held at Lion’s test track at the former Mirabel airport site, where I was joined by Patrick Gervais, vice-president of trucks and public affairs for the electric truck maker.
The pre-production Lion8T on the Lion track in Mirabel. (Photo: Steve Bouchard)
The Lion8T was unveiled last May at ACT Expo in Las Vegas, Nev. The test truck is a pre-production version with a 630-kWh battery capacity that can provide a range of up to 440 km.
“It’s the first 100% electric truck with a gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 127,000 lb. It’s designed for Quebec, for Canada,” said Gervais. It’s powered by batteries manufactured by Lion at its new Mirabel plant, “batteries that deliver many more on-board kWh for the same weight than what we could have had before,” added Gervais.
The cabin is made of composite, a stronger and rust-proof material, and the Lion8T is equipped with an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS).
The rear section of the Lion8T looks like a sleeper compartment, but instead contains batteries and the fluid and components needed to keep the system at the appropriate temperature.
The Lion8T (the T denotes a tractor configuration) on our drive had a GCWR of 105,000 lb. – the truck itself counted for 26,000 lb. of that.
The interior of the cabin is similar to what truckers are used to seeing in diesel-fueled Class 8 trucks, including air brake buttons. The dashboard gives the driver the information needed for driving, such as cruising speed, remaining range and kWh consumption per 100 kilometers.
“If ever a problem occurs, the information will be transmitted to the dashboard using telemetry and we will be able to make changes and provide corrections,” explained Gervais, adding that “80% of problems on an electric vehicle can be resolved remotely.”
In the cabin, the only sound you can hear is the air conditioning compressor. The noise level was around 50 dB with the air conditioning on. Visibility in the cabin is excellent and the turning radius is very tight, thanks largely to the cab-forward configuration. Comfort is still there, because the cab is pneumatic.
The Lion8T’s acceleration is impressive, even at 105,000 lb. of gross vehicle weight. It went from 0 to 85 km/h in 34.80 seconds, confirmed by stopwatches in hand. It must be said that the electric powertrain generates a phenomenal 17,540 lb.-ft. of torque. The length of the track prevented us from getting to 100 km/h, but you still get a good idea of the acceleration provided by the Meritor e-axle motors.
Regenerative braking allows the truck to slow down without touching the brake pedal, which has the dual benefit of putting energy back into the batteries and significantly reducing brake wear.
In terms of charging, the Lion8T offers a charging capacity of 290 kW, among the highest in the heavy-duty vehicle market, noted Gervais. The truck can be recharged from 20% to 80% in about two hours with a 180-kWh terminal.
Who is the Lion8T for?
“Applications of 400 km and less are ideal. So, from distribution center to distribution center, for deliveries to department stores, for food distribution for example, it’s really the perfect vehicle,” said Gervais.
Lion Electric is now taking orders for the Lion8T, with first deliveries expected this fall. New orders as of today will be available for delivery in the first quarter of 2025.
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