Leinfelden-Echterdingen/Frankfurt am Main – Frankfurt Waste Management and Service GmbH (FES) is consistently continuing its path towards electrification of its municipal fleet and is ordering ten additional Mercedes-Benz eEconic. This increases the number of battery-electric low-entry trucks at FES to a total of 34 vehicles. The eEconic vehicles, equipped with various body types, are deployed across different areas of municipal waste management and operate daily between city centre, residential districts and the River Main.

Christian Wilz, Chairman of the Management Board Mercedes-Benz Trucks Germany:
“We are pleased to continue our successful cooperation with FES with ten additional vehicles. I personally spent a day with FES in waste collection operations to gain insight into the daily demands placed on our vehicles – and I have to say: our eEconic performed significantly better than I did. Quiet, zero-emission in operation, and technically perfectly equipped with the bodies of our partners.”

Pascal Scheffler, Head of Technical Department, FES Frankfurt Waste Management and Service GmbH: “Frankfurt, as a dynamic major city, places special demands on our waste collection vehicles: narrow streets, high traffic density and early morning operations in residential areas alongside cyclists and pedestrians. For us, the eEconic combines safety, driving comfort and a locally emission-free drive system during operation. The procurement is an important building block on our path towards an increasingly electrified fleet.”

FES is one of the largest municipal waste management companies in the Rhine-Main region. Its responsibilities include urban cleanliness, waste collection, winter services and circular economy services.

In 2022, FES already tested the eEconic in customer-focused driver trials under real-world conditions. The positive experience in daily operation has led the company to continuously order additional vehicles from the battery-electric range ever since.

With three battery packs on board, each offering 112 kWh installed capacity and around 97 kWh usable capacity, daily collection routes in Frankfurt can generally be completed without intermediate charging. In daily operations, the vehicles mainly work in stop-and-go traffic with frequent braking. Through predictive driving, electrical energy can be recovered via recuperation, further increasing range. Even after intensive working days, sufficient remaining range is typically available to return comfortably to the depot for charging. The standard Multimedia Cockpit Interactive provides drivers with continuous information on battery status, energy consumption and remaining range, supporting efficient driving. In addition, both drivers and residents benefit from the low noise emissions of the battery-electric vehicle, particularly during early operations.

The eEconic is designed for urban use. Its low-entry concept with a low step-in height facilitates frequent entry and exit on the traffic-facing side, while the deeply curved panoramic windscreen provides excellent visibility of road conditions.

At the same time, FES is continuously expanding its charging infrastructure. Charging points are already available at several locations. With further expansion, the company is creating the conditions to further advance fleet electrification.