A new truck for a new era: The eActros sets benchmarks in CO2-neutral goods transport

• Mercedes-Benz Trucks is striving to complete its switch to electrically powered trucks in Europe by 2039.
• With the eActros, Mercedes-Benz Trucks is making a major step towards achieving the aims of the Paris Agreement.
• The eActros is now "Charged & Ready" and forms an integral part of a business-oriented eco-system.
• The findings from the "eActros innovation fleet" and the close exchanges with customers have been incorporated into the development of the series-production model.

The logistics sector is facing a massive set of challenges: on the one hand, environmental regulations are getting even more demanding, while on the other, the global transport volume is increasing. This volume of goods needs to be transported as sustainably and efficiently as possible.

In view of its social responsibility for climate protection, Mercedes-Benz Trucks is thus working hard to achieve its aim of CO₂-neutral goods transport using battery-electric and hydrogen-based fuel-cell technologies. The company identifies with the Paris Agreement's aim of decarbonising the sector and wishes to completely switch its European product portfolio over to electrically powered trucks by 2039.

The eActros from Mercedes-Benz Trucks is now the first fully-electric series-production truck bearing the three-pointed star and thus marks an important step in the direction of locally CO₂-neutral goods transport. Further steps for long-distance haulage are also in the pipeline: series production of the low-floor Mercedes-Benz eEconic truck is expected to start in 2022. In addition to this, the battery-electric eActros LongHaul is expected to be launched in 2024 and the GenH2 Truck with hydrogen-based fuel cell will come in the second half of this decade.

Innovative answer to the shake-up of the transport sector

Specially developed for heavy-duty short-radius distribution, the eActros stands for sustainability and, thanks to its resource-friendly nature, it simultaneously also serves to improve the image of transport companies, not to mention rendering the job of truck drivers more attractive. Another thing which the eActros enables is the ability to re-think regional and local short-radius distribution. After all, the electric truck offers also a range of other benefits for customers. Among the advantages are, for example, the ability to make night-time deliveries or to enter inner cities where diesel vehicles are no longer permitted to be used.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks offers fleet operators an integrated, complete solution

Naturally, the procurement of an electrified truck must also be financially worthwhile in the daily operations of transport businesses. Plus, transport companies will no doubt have a number of questions: on which routes can an electric vehicle be used? What about charging infrastructure? Which building measures and investments will need to be made at the depot?

And so it becomes even more important that customers don't just buy an electric truck, but that they are also assisted along the entire path to electrifying their fleet. After all, eMobility is more than just a new drive system. It is precisely for this reason that Mercedes-Benz Trucks has embedded the eActros in a business-oriented eco-system bearing the slogan "Charged & Ready". It offers advice in the form of eConsulting, as well as digital solutions concerning eMobility and the optimisation of the total cost of ownership (TCO). The integrated eActros is a full-service offering which makes Mercedes-Benz Trucks a reliable partner for its customers when it comes to sustainable future mobility.

Successful practical operations in customer hands as part of the "eActros innovation fleet"

After Mercedes-Benz Trucks presented a concept vehicle for heavy-duty short-radius distribution in urban areas at the 2016 IAA for commercial vehicles in Hanover, the first prototypes of the eActros were handed over in 2018 to various customers around Germany and other European countries for practical testing. The declared aim of the "eActros innovation fleet" was to create a market and series-ready electric truck for heavy-duty short-radius distribution from 2021. In line with this, aspects such as the energy requirements in various operating scenarios and the efficiency of the eActros prototypes were determined. The development and testing of the prototypes from the innovation fleet were funded as part of the "Concept ELV²" project to various degrees by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) as well as by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).

After running for more than two years, the main finding from the pilot project was that performance of the prototypes was impressive. Drivers, for example, were particularly pleased with the continuous availability of the torque across the entire speed range. What's more, they also mentioned in particular the quiet running and the pleasant, smooth driving experience. The findings from the innovation fleet and the close exchanges with customers have been wholly incorporated into the development of the series-production model. In comparison with the prototype, the series-production vehicle was drastically optimised in some important characteristics, including the range, drive power and safety. It was customer co-creation in its purest form. In an initial step, the series-production model of the eActros will be available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Further markets will follow.