Mercedes-Benz launches eActros 600 long-haul electric truck

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the series version of its first battery-electric long-haul truck - eActros 600 - which is capable of achieving 310 miles on one charge. With intermediate charging, taken during legally prescribed driver breaks, Mercedes say the truck can do over 600 miles.

This is made possible due to the high battery capacity of more than 600 kilowatt hours and a new, particularly efficient electric drive axle which has been developed in-house.

In addition to CCS charging with up to 400 kW, the eActros 600 will later also enable megawatt charging (MCS). From the start of sales, customers can order a pre-installation for this. As soon as MCS technology becomes available and is standardised across manufacturers, it is planned to be retrofittable for these models of the eActros 600. The batteries can be charged from 20 to 80 per cent in about 30 minutes3 at a suitable charging station with an output of one megawatt.

The vehicle is technically designed for a gross combination weight of up to 44 tonnes. With a standard semi-trailer, the eActros 600 has a payload of around 22 tonnes in the EU.

The core of Merceds-Benz Trucks’ concept for battery-electric long-distance transport is to offer customers a holistic solution consisting of vehicle technology, consulting, charging infrastructure and services.

Karin Rådström, CEO Mercedes-Benz Trucks, said: “The eActros 600 stands for the transformation of road freight transport towards CO2-neutrality like no other truck with a three-pointed star. It is characterised by highly innovative drive technology that can offer our customers particularly high energy efficiency and thus profitability. This makes entry into e-mobility even more attractive for fleet operators.”

With the current European energy mix, the eActros 600 achieves CO2 savings of around 40 per cent compared to a comparable diesel Actros and, with fully renewable energies, of more than 80 per cent over the entire product life cycle of 10 years from raw material extraction. This corresponds to savings of around 370 or 775 tonnes of CO2.

In addition to the tractor unit, Mercedes-Benz Trucks will also produce rigid variants of the eActros 600 right from market launch, offering customers further possible applications for all-electric transport. A fleet of around 50 prototype vehicles is currently being built, some of which are also to be put into practical testing with customers in a next step.

The eActros 600 has three battery packs, each with 207 kWh5. These offer an installed total capacity of 621 kWh. The batteries are based on lithium iron phosphate cell technology (LFP) and are characterised by a long service life. Development engineers at Mercedes-Benz Trucks have designed the eActros 600 to meet the same requirements on the durability of the vehicle and its components as a comparable conventional heavy-duty long-haul Actros. That means up to 1.2 million kilometres in 10 years of operation. After this period of use, the battery state of health should still be over 80 per cent. Moreover, in contrast to other battery cell technologies, approximately 95 per cent of the installed capacity can be used with LFP technology. This makes a higher range with the same installed battery capacity possible.

The start of series production is planned for the end of 2024 and sales will start this year.