Mexico. The assembly plant of Navistar Mexico in Escobedo, responsible for the production of tractor-trailers, is working on the transition to the production of electric vehicles. This would be done on the same production line where they currently assemble internal combustion trucks.
"Currently at the Escobedo plant we are producing 300 internal combustion tractor-trailers a day, with this figure I think we are the largest in America," said Oscar Ruiz, manager of the plant in the metropolitan area of Monterrey.
"In addition, we are making three electric trucks a day, we are still doing it on the main product line," he added.
The biggest challenge in the transition to electric vehicle production will be to do it on the same production line, once the expansion of the paint area that will give them more volume is finished.
The engineering they have developed at Navistar will allow them to gradually introduce electric vehicles onto the same production line.
In addition, there are logistical challenges to consider, as you must have the components to assemble an internal combustion truck and an electric truck in the same space. In particular, the batteries of electric trucks are very large and heavy, so they must be moved very carefully.
In August 2022, Navistar announced that it would begin manufacturing two types of electric trucks: EMV cargo units and ECE model school-type private fleet trucks.
This transition to electric vehicle production at Navistar Mexico's Escobedo Assembly Plant will be a gradual process that will face several challenges. However, the company is confident that this will allow it to remain a leader in the production of vehicles in the Mexican market.
