Eaton Corporation
PR . MEDIA RELATIONS
Eaton was one of our Detroit office’s first clients when the firm was established in 2000. For nearly a quarter century, we have supported Eaton’s Mobility Group with media relations and internal communications expertise. FWV continues to help Eaton strengthen its brand in the automotive, commercial vehicle and off-highway equipment sectors, build awareness for new product and technological advancements, and thought leadership opportunities for its senior executives. In addition, FWV helps Eaton with events, internal announcements, employee communications, and social media messaging.
RIDE & DRIVE
PR CAMPAIGN
Eaton and BAE Systems engineers were tasked with reducing the cost, size, weight and complexity of a Class 7 medium-duty electric truck. The two companies – Eaton, with more than 100-years of experience in the commercial vehicle industry, and BAE Systems, known for its groundbreaking technologies for land, air, sea and space – were up to the challenge. Pairing Eaton’s medium-duty 4‑speed EV transmission with BAE System’s propulsion system, combined with six lithium-ion batteries and 3.9:1 ratio rear axle packaged in a CL7 Freightliner M2 truck – with the diesel engine, transmission, fuel tank removed – provided the perfect combination of power and performance.
When the two companies were ready to prove it they engaged FWV to assemble editors and reporters from the trucking industry’s top trade media to put the truck through its paces. The journalists spent a full day at Eaton’s Proving Grounds in Marshall, Mich., driving the truck carrying 8 tons of payload around a one-mile oval track and up and down hills. To fully appreciate the truck’s torque, smooth and quick acceleration, ease of handling steep grades and quiet and exhaust-free ride, the media also drove a comparable internal combustion engine-powered truck.
After driving the truck, comparing it with its diesel-powered counterpart, and talking with Eaton and BAE Systems engineers, the journalists walked away believers. As one editor wrote: “It’s one thing to debate about the differences between electrical and ICE vehicles, but I believe if more people had an opportunity to drive an EV and its ICE equivalent back-to-back, you’d see how far the technology has come and what the future actually holds for the transportation industry.”
