AUTONEWS

Mercedes eActros 600 will have the longest test trip in history in Europe

Mercedes-Benz Trucks is planning the longest test trip in the company's history for this summer. This involves its new electric flagship eActros 600. The intention is that two prototypes of the battery-electric truck for long-distance transport, very close to series production, will cross more than 20 European countries, covering more than 13,000 km each , with a total semi-trailer weight of 40 tons.

With this initiative, Mercedes-Benz Trucks seeks to gain extensive experience on a large number of routes in different topography and climatic zones, verifying energy consumption. The Company then intends to share these findings with interested customers. Secondly, it wants to use the test journey to demonstrate that the eActros 600 makes long-distance, purely battery-electric transport possible between several countries in Europe. The intention is to recharge batteries exclusively at public stations. Even though the construction of a public charging infrastructure is essential for electric trucks to take off on the market, the 'eActros 600 European Testing Tour 2024' aims to send a positive signal to all parties involved.

The high battery capacity of more than 600 kilowatt-hours of the eActros 600, together with its efficient in-house developed electric drive axle, allow this Mercedes-Benz truck to achieve a range of 500 kilometers without intermediate recharging.

Dr. Christof Weber, Head of Global Testing at Mercedes-Benz Trucks: “We have put several prototypes of the eActros600 to the test in recent years. Whether in Northern Finland or Southern Spain, the vehicle has long proven what it can do. With the development of the series, we are now in the final stretch. The ‘eActros 600 European Testing Tour 2024’ allows us to send a clear message just a few months before the launch of series production. We are firmly convinced that the two eActros 600 prototypes will very well master this enormous feat of demonstration of strength involving the longest round of testing carried out by Mercedes-Benz Trucks to date.”

Stina Fagerman, Head of Marketing, Sales and Service at Mercedes-Benz Trucks: “There is a lot of customer interest in the eActros 600. Since the start of sales at the end of last year, we have recorded more than 1,000 orders and have also reached numbers in the region of four digits in letters of intent. This is all the more impressive given the fact that customer demonstration vehicles will only begin rolling in the second half of the year. The vehicle has already convinced many customers in advance.”

Fagerman continues: “With the 'eActros 600 EuropeanTesting Tour 2024', we are placing focus on expanding our expertise in the areas of energy consumption and e-truck deployment options under a wide range of conditions, enabling us to offer our customers even more consistent consulting services. Furthermore, we aim to inform decision makers in the political sphere and the energy sector, as well as the general public, about the possibilities offered by battery electric motors in the long-haul segment. We will thus further boost the momentum in building the necessary infrastructure.”

The European testing journey for the eActros 600 is scheduled to begin in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, on June 11th, with communication activities expected. Unofficially, the tour starts the day before, at the Mercedes-Benz Trucks factory in Wörth am Rheine and the headquarters of Daimler Truck AG in Leinfelden-Echterdingen.

‘e-tour’ experience across Europe with the eActros 300/400...Last year, Mercedes-Benz Trucks carried out a sales tour across Europe with the eActros 300/400 electric truck for heavy transport in distribution services. Three e-trucks traveled more than 5,000 kilometers across Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. In total, Mercedes-Benz Trucks held 14 customer events, with more than 1,500 guests and 1,250 test drives.

About the eActros 600...Around 60% of long-distance journeys by Mercedes-Benz Trucks customers in Europe are less than 500 kilometers, which means that a charging infrastructure in the garage and at loading and unloading points is the sufficient in these cases. For all other uses, the continued expansion of public charging infrastructure is essential to enable long-distance electric truck transport across Europe.

In addition to charging in 'CCS' with up to 400 kW, the eActros 600 will later be enabled to recharge in megawatts 'MCS'. In April this year, developers at Mercedes-Benz Trucks were able, for the first time, to charge a prototype of the eActros 600 at a charging station with a power of one megawatt in the Development and Test Center at the Wörth am Rhein plant. Customers will be able to order a pre-installation for this type of MCS recharge. As soon as MCS technology becomes available and standardized across all manufacturers, it is expected that they will be installable in the first models of the eActros 600. The batteries can be charged from 20 to 80% in around 30 minutes at an appropriate charging station with a power of about one megawatt.

In visual terms, the eActros 600 is characterized by an essentially new design, with clear lines and an aerodynamic shape. When it comes to profitability for fleet operators, the electric truck is designed to set new standards in the long term, replacing the majority of diesel trucks in the important long-haul transportation segment. The concept of long-distance battery-electric transport from Mercedes-Benz Truck is to offer customers a complete solution, involving vehicle technology, consultancy, charging infrastructure and services.

Mundoquatrorodas