As it strives towards its goal to complete its switch to electrically powered trucks in Europe by 2039, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has unveiled its new battery-electric eActros, which can achieve a range of up to 400 kilometres.
Designed for heavy-duty short-radius distribution, the eActros made its debut on June 30 in Stuttgart, Germany.
This is the first series-produced electric truck from the manufacturer, with plans for the standard model of the eActros to begin rolling off the production line in Wörth am Rhein, Germany within the next few months.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks has used the findings from the eActros innovation fleet (started in 2018) and customer feedback to develop the series-production model.
Features such as MirrorCam and the Multimedia Cockpit Interactive will be included in the standard specification.
With the Multimedia Cockpit Interactive, the driver remains constantly up-to-date with the charge level of the batteries and the remaining range, as well as the current and average energy consumption.
Fleet managers can also use the Fleetboard portal’s digital solutions to efficiently 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, and how high the battery charge is.
The battery of the eActros series-production model is equipped with either three or four battery packs, each with an energy capacity of around 105 kWh. The maximum battery capacity of 420 kWh enables ranges of up to 400 kilometres.
According to the manufacturer, 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 400 kW. If the vehicle is driven particularly foresightedly, recuperation enables the vehicle to recover electrical energy. The energy obtained in this way during braking is fed back into the batteries of the eActros and is again made available for use by the drive system.
Two integrated electric motors are designed for efficiency, providing a constant delivery of power with high starting torque.
The eActros has a low centre of gravity and in full-load operations, there is a noise reduction of 10 dB inside the cab, which roughly corresponds to a halving of perceptible noise volume. Mercedes-Benz Trucks also says there are fewer vibrations in the eActros compared to a diesel truck.
The eActros can be charged with up to 160 kW. When connected to a regular 400A DC charging station, the three battery packs need just over an 1 hour to charge from 20 to 80 percent.