Mercedes-Benz Trucks reveals new eActros electric truck

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has revealed its first series production battery-electric truck, the eActros, which has a 250-mile range and will start rolling off the production line in the autumn.

The battery of the eActros series-production model is equipped with either three or four battery packs, each with an energy capacity of around 105kW/h.

The maximum battery capacity of 420kW/h enables ranges of up to 400 kilometres (250 miles) to be achieved, says the manufacturer.

Fleet operators have helped develop the electric truck through a series of pilot projects to test the technology, which started in 2018. 

Andreas von Wallfeld, head of sales and marketing at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, said: “With a range of up to 400 kilometres, a permissible gross vehicle weight with trailer of up to 40 tonnes and two powerful electric motors delivering a top performance of 400kW, the eActros is perfectly equipped to handle the daily work of our customers.

“Alongside the truck, our digital services and the new eConsulting teams help our customers to make the switch to e-mobility as simply and seamlessly as possible – for example by answering questions on charging infrastructure, fleet integration or route planning.”

The technological centrepiece of the electric truck is the drive unit – a rigid electric axle with two integrated electric motors and a two-speed transmission.

Both liquid-cooled motors generate a continuous output of 330kW as well as a top performance of 400kW.

The eActros can be charged with up to 160kW and when connected to a regular 400A DC charging station, the battery packs need around one hour to charge from 20% to 80%.

In order to assist fleets in making the switch to electric, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has introduced a range of digital solutions to increase utilisation of the vehicle and to optimise the total cost of ownership.

Fleet managers can also use the Fleetboard portal's digital solutions to control their fleet. This includes such things as an individually developed Charge Management System for creating charging profiles, and a logbook containing detailed information on driving times, downtimes and charging breaks.

There is also a mapping tool which shows the vehicle's current location in real-time, as well as whether it is in motion, parked or being charged, as well as how high the battery charge is.

Furthermore, the eActros is also available with Mercedes-Benz Complete – a service contract including the All-round Carefree Package.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks is striving to complete its switch to electrically powered trucks in Europe by 2039.