On the road with the latest Mercedes-Benz trucks: taking to the streets with the all-electric eActros and the next generation of the Actros L
- The eActros impresses on the road with its powerful acceleration, range-increasing recuperation, and smooth handling
- The eActros is part of an integrated overall offering which also includes comprehensive eConsulting and intelligent digital solutions
- Both eActros and Actros L have been equipped with the second generation of MirrorCam since April 2022
- The third generation of the OM 471 commercial vehicle engine, available from October 2022, makes the Actros L even more dynamic and can reduce fuel consumption by up to four percent
- PowerShift Advanced and Top Torque ensure a high level of driving comfort in the Actros L
- Karin Rådström, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Trucks: “The tremendous interest in our eActros driving event in Wörth is further proof of the popularity e-mobility is already gaining with customers. Customers are thus sending a strong signal to all stakeholders to combine efforts and quickly put more and more electric trucks on the road, expand the charging infrastructure and create cost parity.”
Stuttgart/Wörth am Rhein – At the “Driving Experience” in Wörth am Rhein, Mercedes-Benz Trucks gives international journalists the opportunity to drive the heavy-duty eActros battery-powered distribution truck and the long-haul flagship Actros L up close. Both trucks are extremely high-tech and include numerous innovations, but while their drive systems differ, they both offer transportation companies the ability to efficiently master their everyday tasks, while at the same time providing drivers with safe, comfortable and dynamic trucks. Following the "Driving Experience", the manufacturer is organizing a customer event lasting several weeks for a total of some 1,000 participants from all over Europe on central aspects of e-mobility such as infrastructure, services and e-trucks.
Karin Rådström, CEO Mercedes-Benz Trucks: “The tremendous interest in our eActros driving event in Wörth is further proof of the popularity e-mobility is already gaining with customers. Customers are thus sending a strong signal to all stakeholders to combine efforts and quickly put more and more electric trucks on the road, expand the charging infrastructure and create cost parity.”
Impressive driving experience with the eActros
Get in, buckle up, press start and drive off – it’s that simple with the battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros. Better still, all you’ll hear is the low hum of the compressor, the rolling noise of the tyres, and the wind noise as you accelerate away. First impressions count, and this initial near-silent experience gives you an idea of the fascination with the battery-powered series-production truck that Mercedes-Benz Trucks has specifically designed for heavy-duty distribution haulage. Whether on trunk routes, on country roads with their varying topography, or through towns and cities, relaxed driving is immediately evident, the driver hardly feels any interruptions in gear shifting or traction. The electric motors provide exactly the same high torque throughout the entire rpm range, and the powerful acceleration is noticeable in every traffic situation. Even under full load, the noise level in the cab remains at a comparatively low level.
At any time during the journey, it is possible to not only see how frugal the eActros is, but also improve its use of energy with the help of intelligent recuperation. This is because the electric motor converts kinetic energy into electrical energy during every braking manoeuvre – or by actively actuating the pitman arm during the coasting phase. Energy generated in this way is fed back into the batteries of the eActros, thus contributing to an increase in vehicle range. Another positive side effect of regenerative braking is that less stress is placed on the brakes of the eActros. Depending on the situation, the driver can choose between five different levels of recuperation. A one-pedal driving function can also be activated on the touchscreen in the digital cockpit as desired – i.e. deceleration via recuperation without actuating the mechanical brake, meaning the driver can fully focus on traffic, not the technology. The interactive multimedia cockpit installed as standard in the eActros provides continuous information on the state of charge, the remaining range, and the current and average energy consumption in kWh per 100 kilometers.
On the subject of energy: eActros comprise either three (eActros 300) or four battery packs (eActros 400), each of which offers an installed capacity of 112 kWh[1] and a usable capacity of around 97 kWh.[2] With four battery packs, the eActros 400 has a range of up to 400 kilometers.[3] The technological core is the drive unit – an electric rigid axle with two integrated electric motors and a two-speed transmission. Both liquid-cooled motors generate a continuous output of 330 kW as well as a top performance of 400 kW. The eActros can be charged at up to 160 kWh: three battery packs require just over an hour to charge from 20 to 80 percent at a standard DC fast charging station with 400 A charging current.[4]
Smart digital solutions for even more efficient use
In order to get the most out of the eActros, to save operators time and effort, and make the switch to e-mobility as smooth as possible, Mercedes-Benz Trucks provides its customers with a whole range of digital solutions on the Fleetboard Portal. This includes, for example, individually customised charge management. It provides full transparency of the charging process for a customer’s infrastructure assets and enables costs to be managed by displaying transaction histories. In addition, charging processes can be better planned to maximise the utilisation of charging stations, and charging processes can be started and stopped from anywhere thanks to Charge Management.
The mapping tool is another digital solution, which enables back office employees in transportation companies to react quickly to the current vehicle status wherever necessary. This is because the tool can show in real time where a vehicle is currently located, whether it is moving, stationary or charging, how high the state of charge of the battery is, and what range is still available. In addition, a logbook with detailed information on driving, stationary, and charging times, total weight, covered mileage, routes, topography, temperature as well as increases and decreases in the state of charge of the battery represents another tool. This enables fleet managers to subsequently track each individual eActros in the business so that use can be optimised when discussing the situation with drivers or dispatchers. This means that their electric vehicles can be integrated into everyday routines in the best possible way.
The Mercedes-Benz Complete service contract is also available for the eActros to ensure optimum vehicle deployment. The comprehensive service package covers workshop stopovers for maintenance and repair of the overall vehicle as well as the driveline, including wear parts. The service contract always covers intensive customer support provided by Mercedes-Benz Uptime. The intelligent system records all relevant vehicle data, from tyre pressures and the motor status to battery status. In this context, Mercedes-Benz Uptime has already been expanded by more than 100 e-specific regulators that continuously monitor charging processes or voltage curves related to the high-voltage battery, for example. The information is also available on the new cloud-based customer portal. By networking all the vehicles, Mercedes-Benz Service and transportation companies simplify the process of planning workshop visits.
Expert advice for a tailored e-mobility
Irrespective of the drive technology, every investment in a commercial vehicle needs to pay off in the everyday activities of transportation companies. In addition, a whole series of questions must be clarified in advance, especially with regard to fully electric trucks: On which routes can I use electric vehicles? How developed is the charging infrastructure? Which structural measures and investments are needed for depot charging? This makes it all the more important not just to sell customers an electric truck, but also to accompany them on their journey to fleet electrification. After all, e-mobility is more than just a new kind of drive. This is precisely why Mercedes-Benz Trucks has integrated the eActros into a business ecosystem that also includes consultancy services for high vehicle usage and optimisation of the total costs of ownership.
For example, our eConsulting teams use existing driving routes to determine usage profiles for electric trucks that are as realistic and meaningful as possible for a particular customer. Depending on the customer's demands and in addition to the electrification of the depot, eConsulting also includes all questions related to planning, ordering, and implementation concerning the charging infrastructure as well as the grid connection. Mercedes-Benz Trucks has concluded a strategic partnerships specifically for this purpose with Siemens Smart Infrastructure and ENGIE. Mercedes-Benz Trucks can also provide assistance with sourcing possible public funding for infrastructure and vehicles.
At the “Driving Experience” event, Mercedes-Benz Trucks dedicated itself to answering questions about both the charging infrastructure as well as the actual charging process in a specially built charging depot. For example, how long does it take to set up the necessary charging infrastructure and what costs can be expected? What is the charging standard for the CCS Combined Charging System, and which chargers are recommended? How does the vehicle communicate with the charge port? The event also explained in detail whether fast or slow charging is better and what the difference is between cooled and uncooled charging cables.
Audible warning system, Sideguard Assist, new MirrorCam and ABA 5
As any journey in the eActros impressively reveals, the vehicle is very silent on the roads. However, in order to ensure that vulnerable road users such as pedestrians or cyclists can be alerted of the electric truck in their surroundings, the eActros is also equipped with an external Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) as standard – in accordance with legal requirements. The audible warning system in the eActros consists of two speakers – one at the front, and one at the rear – which are connected both to each other and to the vehicle. Depending on the driving conditions, different sounds are played for forward travel and reversing. The forward travel sound “simulates” a quiet fan sound, while upon reversing an intermittent sound consisting of two tones is output.
The improved perceptibility of an electric truck is particularly important when turning. In order to prevent accidents as effectively as possible in this situation, particularly with cyclists or pedestrians, or at least to reduce the consequences of accidents, the eActros is equipped with the Sideguard Assist S1R as standard. If, against all expectations, there is a risk that a truck driver might not see a cyclist or pedestrian when turning, the system can intervene to assist and warn the driver in a multi-step process. The Sideguard Assist uses the MirrorCam display for the visual warning notices, and these screens are installed in the eActros in place of conventional main and wide-angle mirrors.
The second generation of the mirror camera system has been in use since April 2022, and can now provide the driver with even better support in many situations in road traffic thanks to camera arms that are ten centimetres shorter, plus new imaging parameters. One of the benefits of shortening the camera arms is that the drivers can now reverse more easily than was the case with the first generation. This is due in particular to the fact that the MirrorCam’s perspective now even more closely resembles that of a conventional glass mirror. The evolution in colour and brightness matching within the camera system, which is already very bright in itself, means that the displays can depict the zone relevant to the driving situation even more precisely, e.g. when reversing into a dark or poorly lit facility.
Thanks to its supportive effect, the enhanced MirrorCam system can now assist in managing situations such as overtaking, manoeuvring, driving in poor visibility and darkness, cornering, and passing through narrow spaces even more safely and without stress. In addition, existing benefits still remain which include wide-angle mode when reversing, distance lines in the display to improve estimating distances to objects behind the vehicle, panning of the camera image when cornering, and monitoring of the vehicle’s surroundings during rest periods.
Another safety highlight is the fifth generation Active Brake Assist (ABA 5) with pedestrian detection. ABA 5 uses a combination of radar and a camera system. If ABA 5 detects the risk of an accident – be it with a vehicle ahead, a stationary obstacle, or a pedestrian crossing the road, coming towards the truck, walking in the lane ahead, or suddenly stopping in fright - a visual and audible warning can first be provided to the driver. If the driver does not react adequately, the system can initiate partial braking at three metres per second as a second step. This corresponds to around 50 percent of the maximum braking power. If a collision is still imminent, ABA 5 can carry out automated, maximum full-stop braking ahead of moving persons up to a vehicle speed of 50 km/h.
The proven flagship for traditional long-distance haulage: The Actros L – from October 2022 with the third generation of the OM 471 commercial vehicle engine
In addition to the constantly growing portfolio of vehicles with battery-electric drivetrains, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has once again set new standards in the premium segment of traditional diesel trucks with the Actros L, which has been in production since November 2021. The top-of-the-range model of the successful Actros series underlines once again the claim of Mercedes-Benz Trucks to always focus on the needs of its customers and their drivers, and to create the highest possible added value for them over and over again.
One example of this is the third generation of the OM 471 heavy-duty commercial vehicle engine. The latest heavy-duty engine, which will be available in the Mercedes-Benz Actros L from October 2022, features a great range of technical innovations that are consistently aimed at lowering the total cost of ownership (TCO) with regard to fuel-saving driving, reduced CO2 emissions, lower operating costs, and higher margins, without affecting performance, vehicle dynamics or driving comfort. For this purpose, the engineers at Mercedes-Benz Trucks have made several adjustments.
For example, the third generation of the OM 471 introduces two new turbochargers, which, together with the revised exhaust gas aftertreatment system, enable maximum fuel savings of up to four percent compared with the previous generation. For even more vehicle dynamics, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has also focused on the driveline: For example, the new PowerShift Advanced automated transmission control enables faster and smoother moving off and acceleration in many situations thanks to its precision gear selection. Another highlight of the third generation of the OM 471 is the extended Top Torque program, which provides more performance exactly when really needed – for example when driving onto a motorway, or when overtaking.
Excellent space and more safety equipment
The fact that the Actros L caters for a high level of driver comfort is also underlined by the cab with its width of 2.5 metres, and that it is only available in StreamSpace, BigSpace and GigaSpace variants. The lack of an engine tunnel in the cab ensures a level floor and a homely ambiance. The improved sound insulation reduces undesirable noise and thus contributes to relaxation, not only when driving but also during rest periods, while the seating position has been lowered and further optimised. In addition, the optionally-available newly designed LED headlights represent a major safety enhancement, thanks to their higher luminous intensity and excellent illumination of the road compared with xenon headlights.
Plus, assistance systems such as the fifth-generation Active Brake Assist with pedestrian detection, Lane Keeping Assist or the second generation of MirrorCam, as well as options such as Active Sideguard Assist (ASGA) or the second generation of Active Drive Assist (ADA 2) for Level 2 partially automated driving, also make an important contribution to increased safety.
The two latter systems in particular can be important helpers for everyday traffic situations. This is because the new Active Sideguard Assist is no longer just able to warn the driver of moving cyclists or pedestrians on the front passenger side, but it can also initiate automated braking up to its own turning speed of 20 km/h until the vehicle comes to a standstill if the driver fails to react in time.
Under certain circumstances, ADA 2 can actively support the driver with longitudinal and lateral guidance of the vehicle, and automatically maintain a distance, accelerate, and steer if the necessary system conditions such as an adequate curve radius or clearly visible roadway markings are in place. In addition, the Emergency Stop Assist sub-function included in ADA 2 is capable of initiating an emergency stop if, despite visual and audible warnings, the steering wheel is no longer being operated by the driver. The driver is shown the activities and functions of the assistance systems in the user-friendly Multimedia Cockpit Interactive with its two colour displays at the heart of the Human Machine Interface (HMI).
With all these assistance systems, Mercedes-Benz Trucks aims to provide the driver with the best possible support when driving the vehicle within the system limits. However, the driver remains fully responsible for driving the vehicle safely at all times, as is also required by law.
[1] Nominal capacity of new battery, based on internally defined boundary conditions, may vary depending on use case and ambient conditions.
[2] Energy available for regular truck operation with new batteries. Based on internally defined boundary conditions, may vary depending on use case and ambient conditions.
[3] The range was determined internally in optimum conditions, including 4 battery packs after preconditioning in partially loaded distribution traffic without a trailer at 20 °C outside temperature.
[4] Based on internally determined empirical values under optimal conditions, including an ambient temperature of 20°C.