Leinfelden-Echterdingen/Isques/Montigny-le-Bretonneux (France) – The transformation of road freight transport continues to gain momentum: by adding a Mercedes‑Benz eActros 600 to its training fleet, the ECF Pro Boulogne‑sur‑Mer training center in Isques, northern France, is sending a clear signal about the future of truck driver training. It is the first battery‑electric driver training truck in France.

“Road freight transport is undergoing a profound transformation. What matters is that training actively keeps pace with this development,” explains Jean‑Marie Sauvage, who runs the training center together with his daughters Virginie and Peggy. “Our goal is to familiarize trainee drivers and companies with new powertrain technologies at an early stage.”

The new eActros 600 complements a fleet of 28 training vehicles in total, including eight tractor units, distributed across nine locations of the ECF Group.

Virginie Sauvage also underscores the importance of the project: “By deploying an electric driver training truck, we enable our participants and partner companies to engage hands on with alternative powertrains and the industry’s environmental challenges, helping them better understand the operational implications of electric trucks, support their transition to more climate-friendly transport solutions, and make informed decisions about potential E-truck investments.” 

For use in driver training, the eActros 600 was purpose‑built in close cooperation with bodybuilder Brevet. In place of the standard sleeper berth, a rear bench seat was installed in the cab, providing space for up to four people. In addition, the vehicle was equipped with an extra pedal system on the passenger side, allowing intervention at any time.

About the eActros 600

Mercedes-Benz Trucks celebrated the start of series launch of the eActros 600 at the Mercedes-Benz Wörth plant at the end of 2024, and the vehicle has since been in daily operation on roads in more than 15 European countries.

The electric flagship from Mercedes-Benz Trucks has already proven its capabilities several times under real-life conditions prior to the series launch: In customer use and as part of the “eActros 600 European Testing Tour 2024”, a 15,000-kilometer all-electric development trip through a total of 22 countries and the “European Testing Tour Winter 2025” on around 6,500 kilometers through Northern Europe, each with a gross combination mass of 40 tons. In addition, the e-truck was voted “International Truck of the Year 2025”. The award is the most important prize in the industry and is presented annually by the International Truck of the Year (IToY) organization, consisting of 24 commercial vehicle journalists from Europe.

The high battery capacity of over 600 kilowatt hours - hence the model designation 600 – and a new, particularly efficient electric drive axle developed in-house enable the eActros 600 to achieve a range of 500 kilometers^[1] without intermediate charging. This range is accomplished under very realistic and practical conditions with a gross combination mass of 40 tons, which can also be significantly exceeded depending on the driving style and the route. The eActros 600 will even be able to cover well over 1,000 kilometers per day. Intermediate charging during statutory driver breaks makes this possible, provided that charging options are available. 

The eActros 600 has three battery packs, each with 207 kWh^[2]. These offer an installed total capacity of 621 kWh. The batteries are based on lithium iron phosphate cell technology (LFP) and are characterized by a long service life. The development engineers at Mercedes-Benz Trucks designed the eActros 600 to meet the same requirements for the durability of vehicles and components as a comparable conventional heavy-duty long-haul Actros. This means up to 1.2 million kilometers in ten years of operation. After this period of use, the battery state of health should still be above 80 percent. In contrast to other battery cell technologies, more than 95 percent of the installed capacity can also be used with LFP technology. This facilitates a higher range with the same installed battery capacity. The vehicle is technically designed for a gross combination mass of up to 44 tons. With a standard semitrailer, the eActros 600 has a payload of around 22 tons in the EU. There might be cases in which national law allows higher payloads.

In order to meet even more customer requirements, Mercedes-Benz Trucks recently expanded its battery-electric truck portfolio with additional variants based on the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600. Depending on their requirements in terms of range, payload, and comfort, customers will be able to choose between two cab variants, two or three battery packs, numerous wheelbases, and new axle configurations. The second model generation of the eActros thus offers over 40 variants of the base vehicle. The new vehicle versions feature the key characteristics of the eActros 600, such as LFP battery technology and the specially developed eAxle.

_{[1] The range was determined internally under specific test conditions, after preconditioning with a 4x2 tractor unit with a 40 tons total towing weight at 20°C outside temperature in long-haul operation and may deviate from the values determined in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/2400.
[2] Nominal capacity of a new battery, based on internally defined boundary conditions. This may vary depending on the application and ambient conditions.}