In the autumn of 2018, Mercedes delivered 10 eActros trucks in the 18 to 25 tonnes category to its partner customers in Germany and Switzerland. These companies agreed to test the trucks under real world conditions. Since then, these trucks have been operated for several thousand kilometers over various terrains and pulling different types of cargo and trailers from refrigerated trucks to tarpaulin and box trucks.

These tests have given several insights to Mercedes about the design and performance of these trucks. The eActros are powered by two 126 KW (171 PS) electric motors installed near the hubs of the rear wheels. Each motor generates as torque of 485 N-m, thus producing a system power output of 252 KW (342 PS) and 970 N-m of torque. Mercedes claims that the transmission system amplifies the torque to 11,000 N-m on each wheel. eActros trucks store the electrical energy in 240 KW-H Li-ion batteries which give them a range of 200 km. The batteries can be charged using a 150 KW charger in two hours.

As per Daimler, the drivers of these trucks were pretty impressed by the availability of full torque from start. They were also impressed by the air conditioning system and cargo cooling system which were very effective in the particularly hot summers in Europe this year. The noiseless and easy drive made the driving less stressful. Also, the regenerative braking allowed for drivers who got used to it, drive with single pedal control. Mercedes has announced that the tests have confirmed the truck’s heavy-duty short-radius distribution capability of 200 km under all circumstances.

Andreas von Wallfeld, Head of Marketing, Sales and Services at Mercedes-Benz Trucks said, “We’re absolutely on the right track with the concept behind the Mercedes-Benz eActros. For me, this is the key finding after more than a year of extremely intensive real-world trials with our battery-electric heavy-duty short-radius distribution truck. I’m extremely thankful to our customers, whose active support is making a highly valuable contribution on the road to series production of the vehicle.”

Mercedes plans to start series production of these trucks in 2021.

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