• New in the Mercedes-Benz Trucks portfolio: eActros Lowliner for high-volume applications
• “Elektrotrucker” to start world tour with the eActros 600 at IAA Transportation
• Dachser to become the first logistics service provider to deploy the NextGenH2 Truck
• Further developments in diesel powertrain and safety
• Achim Puchert, CEO Mercedes‑Benz Trucks: “130 years ago, our founding father Gottlieb Daimler invented the truck. For us, 130 years of trucks mean responsibility to actively shape the future of transport, moving forward with the right technologies and solutions that create real value in our customers’ day-to-day operations. How we bring this ambition to life in the years ahead is what we will show at IAA Transportation, our most important platform to engage with customers, partners and the wider public.”

Leinfelden-Echterdingen / Frankfurt am Main – At IAA Transportation 2026 in September, Mercedes‑Benz Trucks will present key next steps in the transformation of road freight transport toward alternative drivetrains. The focus is on the new eActros Lowliner, with which the manufacturer is strategically expanding its battery-electric portfolio for high-volume applications. As a strong signal to both the industry and the wider public, content creator Tobias Wagner – known on various platforms as “Elektrotrucker” – will set off from the IAA on a planned around-the-world journey in a battery-electric eActros 600. The aim is to demonstrate the real-world suitability of battery-electric long-haul solutions under practical operating conditions. Hydrogen-based fuel cell technology will also play a role at the IAA: starting at the end of this year, a total of 100 Mercedes‑Benz NextGenH2 Trucks will gradually enter customer operation. The first customer will be logistics service provider Dachser, which will deploy the NextGenH2 Truck primarily in long-haul transport from its logistics center in Karlsruhe. In addition, Mercedes‑Benz Trucks provides an outlook on further developments in diesel powertrain and safety. This was announced today by Achim Puchert, CEO Mercedes‑Benz Trucks, at the “IAA Media Summit”, the official media kick‑off event for IAA Transportation near Frankfurt am Main. 

Achim Puchert: “130 years ago, our founding father Gottlieb Daimler invented the truck. For us, 130 years of trucks mean responsibility to actively shape the future of transport, moving forward with the right technologies and solutions that create real value in our customers’ day-to-day operations. How we bring this ambition to life in the years ahead is what we will show at IAA Transportation, our most important platform to engage with customers, partners and the wider public.”

New addition to the electric truck portfolio: the eActros Lowliner

The Mercedes-Benz eActros Lowliner is available with either two or three battery packs and expands the manufacturer’s electric truck portfolio with a solution for volume transport. In doing so, Mercedes-Benz Trucks specifically addresses the growing demand for locally CO₂e-free transport options in high-volume long-haul logistics. The first new models can be ordered from the third quarter of 2026 in EU30 markets and in additional markets, and will roll off the production line at the Wörth am Rhein plant from the second quarter of 2027.

A lowliner truck is a tractor unit with a particularly low fifth-wheel height, enabling the transport of trailers with increased interior space. These so-called volume transports are designed for goods where space requirements play an important role. This is especially true for heavily packaged goods, for example in cartons.

The new lowliner variant of the second-generation eActros, like all other models in the current eActros portfolio, features the same key technological characteristics, including modern drive technology and high energy efficiency. These include the in-house developed electric drive axle, the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell technology known for its long service life and more than 95 percent usable battery capacity, the 800-volt onboard electrical system, as well as the Multimedia Cockpit Interactive 2 and comprehensive assistance systems for enhanced safety⁽¹⁾.

The Mercedes-Benz eActros Lowliner is offered as a 4x2 tractor unit with a 4,000 mm wheelbase and meets coupling heights and ground clearance comparable to diesel trucks. This allows mega trailers to comply with the legally permitted overall height and enables the maximum possible interior height for volume-intensive transports. With these dimensions, Mercedes-Benz Trucks aligns with the diesel variants of lowliner vehicles and enables seamless integration of the electric vehicles into existing fleets.

The new eActros Lowliner is optionally equipped with two or three LFP battery packs, each with a capacity of 207 kWh⁽²⁾. This results in an installed battery capacity of 414 kWh⁽²⁾ for the eActros 400 Lowliner and 621 kWh⁽²⁾ for the eActros 600 Lowliner. The range of the eActros 600 in the lowliner variant is approximately at the level of the eActros 600, which, with three battery packs and a gross combination weight of 40 tons, achieves a range of 500 kilometers⁽³⁾ without intermediate charging. The eActros 400 Lowliner with two battery packs has a lower vehicle weight and therefore offers a higher payload than the eActros 600 Lowliner with three battery packs. Due to the weight reduction, the maximum payload of the eActros 400 Lowliner increases to up to 24 tons, compared to the eActros 600 Lowliner, which allows a payload of up to 21 tons.

Note for journalists: Further information on the eActros Lowliner can be found here: Mercedes-Benz Trucks expands its e-truck portfolio with new eActros Lowliner variant | Daimler Truck

Around the world in 80 charges with the eActros 600

Mercedes‑Benz Trucks supports an extraordinary joint project with content creator and professional truck driver Tobias Wagner (“Elektrotrucker”): the first circumnavigation of the globe with a battery-electric long-haul truck. The journey is expected to last around one year, covering approximately 45,000 kilometers across more than 35 countries – with a maximum of 80 charging stops. Wagner plans to start his trip at IAA Transportation in Hanover.

The vehicle is based on a series-production eActros 600 from the Wörth plant and has been specially modified for the expedition, including additional charging and off-road equipment as well as a custom living unit developed by Bliss Mobil. Thanks to its high battery capacity and efficiency, the electric truck is designed for long distances and already offers strong range in heavy-duty transport – potentially exceeding this further as a lighter expedition vehicle.

Tobias Wagner, who has many years of experience operating fully electric trucks in long-haul transport, aims to showcase the potential of battery-electric trucks under real global conditions. At the same time, the journey will highlight where infrastructure and framework conditions still need improvement. He will regularly share insights into the project and the challenges of electric long-haul transport via his channels.

NextGenH2 Truck: hydrogen highlight at IAA

The Mercedes‑Benz NextGenH2 Truck will be the manufacturer’s highlight vehicle for hydrogen drive technology at the IAA Transportation in September. The fuel cell vehicle marks the next stage of development on the path to hydrogen-based long-haul transport and is consistently designed with future series production in mind.

The NextGenH2 Truck continues to rely on liquid hydrogen and the proven cellcentric BZA150 fuel cell, which has already demonstrated its reliability and efficiency under real-world conditions in the first-generation trucks. At the same time, the vehicle features a comprehensive technical update with current series-production components that are also used in the battery-electric Mercedes‑Benz eActros 600. These include the aerodynamically optimized ProCabin, the new generation of the integrated e-axle, the modern Multimedia Cockpit Interactive 2, as well as the latest safety and assistance systems based on the current E/E architecture. The NextGenH2 Truck uses liquid hydrogen, enabling ranges well over 1,000 kilometers on a single filling – combined with short refueling times and high practicality for heavy-duty long-haul transport.

From the end of 2026, Daimler Truck plans a small series of around 100 Mercedes‑Benz NextGenH2 Trucks, which are to be deployed in real-world operations with customers in Germany. The first customer will be the logistics service provider Dachser: starting at the end of December 2026, a first NextGenH2 Truck with liquid hydrogen technology will be deployed in daily operations, with two additional vehicles to follow by mid-2027. Based at the Dachser logistics center in Karlsruhe, the fuel cell trucks will primarily be used in long-haul transport and will be integrated into existing national and international network operations.

In addition to the proven fuel cell technology, customers such as Dachser benefit from further innovative developments to improve operational capability. A more compact arrangement of components and the resulting shorter wheelbase, for example, expand the possibilities for broad compatibility with standard trailers, while new safety and sensor systems enable overnight stays in the cab. As a result, the NextGenH2 Truck is consistently designed to meet the requirements of daily transport operations and complements battery-electric trucks, particularly in flexible and demanding long-haul transport applications where long ranges and short downtimes are essential.

Two new safety features for intersections

Mercedes‑Benz Trucks is presenting two new safety features at the IAA Transportation for use at intersections, one of the most common locations for accidents in road traffic. In critical situations, the systems can intervene in a targeted manner to prevent collisions with other road users as far as possible or to mitigate their consequences.

Their development is based on the systematic analysis of real accident events conducted by the company’s own accident research department. Both functions are designed to be available at an early stage and, in some cases, to anticipate regulatory requirements. In doing so, Mercedes‑Benz Trucks continues its consistent advancement of assistance systems, with the clear objective of bringing new safety technologies into series production as quickly as possible and further reducing the number of accidents on the road.

About the segment Mercedes-Benz Trucks

Mercedes-Benz Trucks, a business unit of Daimler Truck AG, is responsible for the global activities of the Mercedes-Benz and BharatBenz brands under the leadership of Achim Puchert. The Mercedes-Benz Trucks product range extends from heavy-duty long-haul trucks and 8-ton trucks for urban distribution to trucks for special applications. Mercedes-Benz Trucks has its own international sales and service network, which is constantly being developed. The BharatBenz brand's product range includes heavy and medium-duty trucks as well as buses and is specifically aimed at customers in the Indian market. BharatBenz also has a close-knit service network.

The Mercedes-Benz Trucks segment operates production facilities around the globe, some of which are accompanied by test and development sites. In addition, there are further production facilities operated with partners in various countries. The Global Parts Center in Halberstadt, Saxony-Anhalt, which was inaugurated in July 2025, will control the entire spare parts supply for Mercedes-Benz trucks in the future.



_{⁽¹⁾ Driver assistance systems can only support drivers. Responsibility for the safe operation of the vehicle remains entirely with the driver at all times.
⁽²⁾ Nominal capacity of a new battery, based on internally defined framework conditions. This may vary depending on the specific application and environmental conditions.
⁽³⁾ The range was determined internally under specific test conditions, following preconditioning, using a 4x2 tractor unit with a gross combination weight of 40 tonnes at an ambient temperature of 20°C in long-haul operation, and may differ from values determined in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/2400.}