MERCEDES-BENZ

Electrification of the eACTROS line gains momentum

Following the market launch of the eActros for heavy distribution transport services in 2021, Mercedes-Benz Trucks is systematically moving forward with the introduction of additional battery-powered electric vehicle models for this and the coming years. For the important long-distance transport segment, the eActros LongHaul, with a range of around 500 kilometers on one battery charge, is scheduled to enter series production in 2024. The first prototypes of the 40-tonne truck are already passing through. by internal testing and Mercedes-Benz Trucks engineers are planning to start testing the electric truck on public roads this year.

The eActros LongHaul will enable high-performance charging - known as 'megawatt charging'. Mercedes-Benz Trucks is also preparing additional versions of the eActros - specifically the eActros 300 and the eActros 400 - and as of July, the eEconic for use in municipal services is expected to start rolling off the assembly line at the Wörth as the second all-electric series production vehicle. The objective of Mercedes-Benz Trucks is to increase the share of new vehicles free of local CO2 emissions in Europe to more than 50% by 2030.

In order to further introduce e-mobility to truck customers across Europe, the manufacturer is organizing a multi-week event at the Wörth plant from the beginning of June. Experts from Mercedes-Benz Trucks will inform a total of around 1,000 participants on the core aspects of electric mobility, from infrastructure and services to electric models. In addition, customers will have the opportunity to drive the eActros 300 on demanding routes and with realistic payloads.

Karin Radström, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Trucks: “The huge interest in our eActros driving event in Wörth is further proof of the popularity of electric mobility that is winning over customers. Customers are thus sending a strong signal to all stakeholders to combine efforts and put more and more electric trucks on the road, expand charging infrastructure and create cost parity.”

Alliance with partners for charging infrastructure...With regard to charging in garages, Mercedes-Benz Trucks is working together with Siemens Smart Infrastructure, ENGIE and the EVBox Group. In terms of public charging for long-distance transport, Daimler Truck, GRUPO TRATON and the Volvo Group have signed a partnership commitment to establish a joint venture. It is expected to work on the development and operation of a high-performance public charging network for heavy-duty long-haul trucks and battery-powered electric road buses in Europe. The charging network will be available to fleet operators in Europe, regardless of the make of their vehicles.

The aim of the 'High-Performance Charging in Long-Haul Truck Transport' project, with the participation of Daimler Truck and under the aegis of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), is to plan, build and operate a selected high-performance charging infrastructure for long-distance battery-powered electric truck transport. Two high-performance charging points with the ‘Megawatt Charging System’ (MCS) charging system are to be built at each of the four sites in Germany and tested in real-world applications. Several other industry and research consortium partners are involved in the project.

Mercedes-Benz eEconic at IFAT...The battery-electric eEconic made its debut on May 30 at IFAT, the world's leading trade fair for water, sewage, waste and raw materials management, in Munich. The eEconic scores particularly well in early morning urban applications thanks to its lower noise emissions. The eEconic vehicle architecture benefits from Daimler Truck's global platform strategy: the power train of the low-floor truck is based on the Mercedes-Benz eActros, which has already been in series production at the Wörth plant since October 2021. Since October 2021 May 2022, FES Frankfurter Entsorgung (waste management) and Service GmbH are already using an eEconic close to the series production model in Frankfurt am Main for municipal waste collection.

Ultimate goal: CO2-neutral road transport by 2050...Daimler Truck's ambition is to only offer new vehicles in Europe, Japan and North America that are CO2-free in operation ('tank-to-wheel' - from the tank to the steering wheel) by 2039. The two battery-powered electric models Mercedes-Benz eCitaro and Mercedes-Benz eActros have already been rolling off the assembly lines in series production since 2018 and 2021 respectively. The Mercedes-Benz eEconic, FUSO eCanter and Freightliner eCascadia will follow later this year, and other local CO2-free vehicles are already planned. For the second half of this decade, the company plans to further complement its vehicle range with series-produced vehicles powered by hydrogen-based fuel cells. Getting CO2-neutral transport on the roads by 2050 is the ultimate goal.

About Daimler Truck...Daimler Truck Holding AG ('Daimler Truck') is one of the world's largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, with over 40 main units and over 100,000 employees worldwide. The founders of Daimler Truck invented the modern transport industry with their trucks and buses 125 years ago. Unchanged to this day, the company's aspirations are dedicated to one purpose: Daimler Truck works for everyone who moves the world. Its customers enable people to move and get goods to their destinations reliably, punctually and safely. Daimler Truck provides the technologies, products and services for this. This also applies to the transformation to CO2-neutral conduction. The Company seeks the success of sustainable transport, with deep technological knowledge and a clear vision of the needs of its customers.

Daimler Truck's business activities are structured in five segments: Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), with the Freightliner and Western Star truck brands and the Thomas Built Buses school bus brand; Daimler Trucks Asia (DTA), with the commercial vehicle brands FUSO and BharatBenz; Mercedes-Benz (MB), with the truck brand of the same name; Daimler Buses (DB), with the Mercedes-Benz and Setra bus brands. Daimler Truck's new Financial Services (DTFS) business constitutes the fifth segment. The product range in the truck segments includes light, medium and heavy trucks for long-distance traffic, distribution and construction, and special vehicles used primarily in the municipal and professional sector. The bus segment's product range includes city buses, school buses and intercity buses, buses and bus chassis. In addition to selling new and used commercial vehicles, the company also offers after-sales services and connectivity solutions.

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