2023_11_Sustainable Truck&Van

COVER STORY
Highlights
Model type Mercedes eActros 600
Est. range
500 km
Battery type lithium iron phospate (LFP)
Battery capacity
621 kWh
E-motor power (cont.) 400 kW (543 hp)
E-motor power (peak) 600 kW (815 hp)
Start of sales by 2023
Series production end of 2024
Testing the truck.
Sales of the new
Mercedes-Benz
eActros 600 will
begin in 2024,
while production
will start in 2025. In
the meantime, the
truck will be tested
under challengin
conditions all over
Europe.
veloped by aiming not so much and not only
at the creation of a modern and attractive line
in looks, but by aiming to achieve greater aerodynamic
efficiency. Well, the result is fully
achieved, as thanks to the 80 mm longer
front end and airflow improving solutions, the
Pro Cabin’s CX coefficient is 9 percent lower
than the current Actros with a diesel engine.
This translates into lower energy consumption,
which benefits driving range.
Named after its battery capacity
At the inside, the heart of the vehicle is three
battery packs, each with a capacity of 207
kWh, thus 621 kWh in total. This, thanks to
lithium-iron-phosphate cell technology, ensures
the use of more than 95 percent of the installed
capacity.
The combination with the 800-volt electric
axle (designed and developed by Mercedes itself)
with two electric motors and four-speed
transmission capable of generating 400 kW
continuous power (600 kW peak), results in
what the company calls “vigorous acceleration”
and the almost uninterrupted availability
of torque.
Range and price
The driving range of this Mercedes’ heavyweight
truck is claimed to be 500 kilo-
meters. In truth, they are still very little for a
vehicle dedicated to long distance. Mercedes
itself, however, claims that 60 percent of its
customers’ long-haul trips are made over distances
of less than 500 kilometers.
Last, but not least, there are the issues of
price (about two and a half times that of a thermal
engine truck) and charging infrastructure,
which are rapidly developing all over Europe
(let’s remind that Daimler Truck is involved in
the Milence project, together with Traton and
Volvo, with the target to build at least 1,700
public stations by 2026), but at the moment
are totally insufficient for the needs of a 44-ton
truck. However, that is a different matter.
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