Full- electric eActros truck launched
MERCEDES ! BENZ Trucks has launched its irst series production all- electric commercial vehicle, the new eActros, which they say is perfectly suited for heavy- duty distribution haulage.
“We have to acknowledge t hat transport is a part of the problem when it comes to climate change. At the same time, we can and we will be part of the solution.
“We start with our eActros that has covered more than half a million kilometers on public roads,” said Karin Rådström, member of the Board of management at Daimler Truck AG and responsible for Mercedes- Benz Trucks.
Råds t r ö m i s c o nv i n c e d o f t h e concept and market potential of the eActros: “The eActros and its dedicated services are a big step for Mercedes- Benz Trucks and for our customers towards carbon- neutral transport”.
DISTRIBUTION HAULAGE
After Mercedes- Benz Trucks had presented the concept vehicle for a heavy- duty distribution haulage truck for urban areas at the IAA 2016 for Commercial Vehicles in Hanover, practical testi ng of 10 eActros prototypes in co- operation with customers i n Germany and other European countries began in 2018.
The objective of the ‘ eActros Innovation Fl eet’ was t o l aunch a series- ready eActros on the market in 2021.
“Deve l o p ment o f t h e e Ac t r o s focussed on the partnership with our customers. Everything that we learned from the Innovation Fleet is now being incorporated in series production.
“Compared with the prototypes, s evera l f e a t ure s s uch a s ra nge, drive power and safety have been c o n s i d e r a b l y i mp r o v e d i n t h e s e r i e s - producti on model,” s a i d Andre a s vo n Wal l f e l d , Hea d o f Marketing, Sales and Services at Mercedes- Benz Trucks.
At the technological heart of the new Mercedes- Benz eActros is the drive unit with two integrated electric motors along with a two- speed transmission.
Both motors are said to provide i mpre s s i ve p u l l i n g p o we r a n d vehicle dynamics, while the quiet and emission- f ree electric drive means the truck can also be used for night deliveries and entry into inner- cities with driving bans for diesel vehicles.
Depending on t he version, t he eActros draws its power from three or four battery packs – each with a capacity of around 105kWh.
Thanks to a maximum capacity of 420kWh, a range of up to 400km i s re a l i s t i c a c c ordi ng t o Merc’ s testing.
The eActros can be charged with up to 160kW: When connected to a regular 400A DC charging station, the three battery packs need a little longer than 1 hour to charge from 20 to 80 percent, they say.
“The eActros is perfectly equipped for its daily operations in distribution t ransport with regard to availability and performance”, von Wallfeld adds.
COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM
To assist haulage companies stepby- step as they switch to electromobility, Mercedes- Benz Trucks has incorporated the eActros into a c omprehensive system which i ncludes consultant and service p r o d u c t s f o r c u s t o mers a n d i n turn the best possible vehicle utilisation, optimisation of total costs and the setting- up of a charging infrastructure.
Furthermore the electric truck features a high degree of digitisation and connectivity.
This also applies to vehicle safety. In the latest generation of the Actros with a conventional diesel drive unit, Mercedes- Benz Trucks has already given an i mpressive demonstration of the standard of safety that is possible on roads today, and of what the manufacturer is doing in pursuit of its vision of accident- free driving.
With the eActros, Mercedes- Benz Trucks is not only keeping a close eye on active safety, for example i n t he form of systems i nstalled as standard such as MirrorCam, Sideguard Assist S1R or the ifth generation of Active Brake Assist ( ABA) with pedestrian detection, but also on challenges associated with el ectri c vehicles and t heir high- voltage systems.
Later t his year, t he series production model will start to roll out of Mercedes- Benz Trucks’ largest truck assembly plant in Wörth am Rhein in Germany.
INTENSIVE PREPARATIONS
I n r e c e n t m o n t h s i n t e n s i v e preparations have been made for the new production processes at the plant, which includes the construction of a new assembly line.
I n t h e l a u n c h p h a s e , t h e s e - ries- 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 ( including South Africa) will follow.
“T h e g l o b a l d e b u t o f t h i s g r o u n d - b r e a k i n g v e h i c l e wa s certainly an electrifying and sensational moment for us locally.
“Hats off to our Mercedes- Benz Truck counterparts for this revol uti onary vehicle t hat sets t he brand apart.
“Thi s i s c e r t a i nly a g i a nt s t e p t o ward s a n e l e c t r i c a l l y d r i ve n f u t u r e a n d we a r e p r o u d t o b e a part of a brand t hat i s continuously at the forefront of developing cutting- edge solutions for customers.
“As we wait in great anticipation to officially usher in this truck of t he f ut ure t o t he S out h Af r i c a n market, we look forward to poss i bl e c ustomer demonstrations a n d t r i a l o p p o r t u n i t i e s ,” c o n - cl uded Maretha Gerber, head of Mercedes- Benz Trucks Southern Africa.