Illinois Department of Transportation (Idot) awarded Siemens a $US 228m contract in 2014 to supply 32 of the diesel-electric locomotives for use on Amtrak services in the states of Illinois, California, Michigan, Missouri and Washington. The contract included an option for 75 corridor-configured locomotives and 150 long-distance units with 8300-litre fuel tanks.

The first options were exercised in November 2015, when the states of California, Illinois and Maryland ordered a total of 34 locomotives.

In September 2014 All Aboard Florida confirmed it had ordered 10 Charger locomotives to operate its Brightline passenger service from Miami to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, which is due to be launched next year.

The four-axle ac traction Charger is the first locomotive to be equipped with Cummins' QSK 95 power unit. The 95-litre 16 cylinder engine is rated at 3.28MW and is equipped with Cummins' Modular Common Rail Fuel System (MCRS) with quad-turbocharging. The QSK95 is also equipped with

Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) exhaust aftertreatment, enabling it to meet US Envirnomental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier 4 emissions standards.

The first completed unit is destined for Washington state.