Leinfelden-Echterdingen/Oschersleben/Halberstadt - Yesterday, the new electric long-haul truck from Mercedes-Benz Trucks caused quite a stir: the eActros 600 covered the approx. 30 kilometers between Oschersleben and Halberstadt in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt with its semitrailer exclusively in reverse on public roads and under a police escort. The finishing line at the new Daimler Truck Global Parts Center in Halberstadt was reached after around 2 hours to the applause of those involved, including Daniel Szarata, Senior Mayor of the City of Halberstadt, and Stefan Türk, Site Manager. The Halberstadt site will play an important role for Mercedes-Benz Trucks in the future: The Global Parts Center, which will officially open on July 10th, will gradually take over the manufacturer’s worldwide supply of spare parts from this year onwards.

The reverse drive to Halberstadt was already preceded by a successful, continuous reversing record of 124.7 kilometers with the eActros 600 on the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben racetrack the same day. The aim of these extraordinary trips is to draw attention to the topics of electrification, road safety and truck driver image. Mercedes-Benz Trucks considers these topics to be highly relevant for the transport industry and society in general. The manufacturer is supported by Blicki e.V. and PROFI - Pro Fahrer-Image e.V.

Marco Hellgrewe (50) from near Berlin, an officer in the German Armed Forces and a truck enthusiast, initiated the electric reversing record attempt and maneuvered the eActros 600 both on the racetrack in Oschersleben and on federal and country roads from Oschersleben to Halberstadt.

“For me, a big dream has come true: to drive a long distance in reverse on public roads with an all-electric truck and semitrailer. And even being able to do it with the electric flagship eActros 600 from Mercedes-Benz Trucks – which has now become my second home, so to speak. I would like to thank Mercedes-Benz Trucks, the police and the numerous other authorities and stakeholders for their phenomenal support. I would like to express my special thanks to the city of Halberstadt, which has shown outstanding commitment to our project from the very beginning,” says Marco Hellgrewe.

Daniel Szarata, Senior Mayor of the City of Halberstadt: “Mercedes-Benz Trucks has impressively demonstrated the performance of the electric truck with the campaign. In addition, the brand with the three-pointed star has also set a clear signal for road safety and the reputation of the drivers’ profession. I congratulate Marco Hellgrewe and Mercedes-Benz Trucks on this extraordinary achievement. The city of Halberstadt was very happy to support this campaign - because the cooperation with Daimler Truck is a real success story. We are proud to have been part of this special moment."

Stefan Türk, Site Manager of Daimler Truck’s Global Part Center in Halberstadt: “With the spectacular reversing trips, we introduced ourselves as a new neighbor in Halberstadt with a grand entrance – and this was even before the official opening in July. Marco Hellgrewe impressed us with his driving performance and as an excellent partner. We would like to thank him and all those involved, especially the city of Halberstadt. The campaign represents what we want to put into practice at this location: progress, collaboration and enthusiasm for logistics and transport. We look forward to the launch in July and a strong future in Halberstadt.” 

About Daimler Truck’s new Global Parts Center 

Since the foundation stone was officially laid in autumn 2023, the Daimler Truck Global Parts Center has grown at a rapid pace on a site of around 900,000 square meters in the “Industriepark Ost” business park of Halberstadt. The new building will have a built-up gross floor area of around 270,000 square meters and will serve around 20 regional logistics centers worldwide in a three-stage logistics process – for example in various European countries, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil or China. These in turn will supply the regional dealers with the parts. Halberstadt will thus become the heart of the worldwide spare parts supply chain of Mercedes-Benz Trucks.