Mercedes announces October premiere of the ‘eActros 600’
Daimler Truck announces details of the upcoming world premiere of the eActros LongHaul. Mercedes-Benz’ electric truck for long-distance transport is to make its debut on 10 October under the official designation eActros 600. The production model is also to visually stand out from previous Mercedes truck models.
The design of the driver’s cab will break with the familiar look of the Actros series and pick up on design elements of the concept prototype presented at the IAA in September 2022, Daimler Truck announced in a statement. Specifically, the design language of the prototype is to be continued “with clear lines and an aerodynamic shape”. The interior will also receive innovations – but the manufacturer does not specify which ones.
Apart from that, Daimler Truck is only making public the new model name, which will apply immediately to the production model that will roll off the production line in 2024. As with the eActros 300/400 for distribution transport, the new model designation 600 is derived from the battery capacity in kilowatt-hours. Just like its smaller siblings with the surnames 300 and 400, the 600 relies on an electric rigid axle with two integrated electric motors. These generate a continuous output of 400 kW and a peak output of over 600 kW. An 800-volt system architecture will make its debut in the eActros 600.
It has also been clear since the IAA that the eActros 600 with a range of around 500 kilometres, including the MCS charging standard, will go into series production in 2024. And: the batteries of the eActros LongHaul will later be able to be charged from 20 to 80 per cent with about one megawatt in well under 30 minutes. Another interesting fact: Daimler Truck has switched to lithium iron phosphate cell technology for the first time in its electric heavyweight. According to Karin Rådström, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Trucks, because of the long service life and more usable energy. The vehicle is expected to achieve 1.2 million kilometres in ten years of operation. We have prepared all other known data on the vehicle in this article. In addition to the semitrailer tractor, Mercedes-Benz Trucks also plans to build platform chassis variants of the eActros 600 right from the market launch.
Since the first appearance of the electric truck as a concept prototype at the IAA Transportation 2022, the manufacturer has built further test vehicles at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth, with key components coming from the Mannheim, Kassel and Gaggenau sites. In total, a fleet of around 50 prototype vehicles is to be created, which are intended, among other things, for practical testing with customers.
The four aforementioned locations are simultaneously preparing for the series production of the eActros 600. In Wörth, the model will share an existing assembly line with diesel trucks. This is also where the electric truck will receive its electric drive components, which will be supplied from the other plants beforehand. In Mannheim, for example, the so-called front box for the eActros 600 is being built – a complex, assembly-intensive module for battery-powered vehicles in which control units, high-voltage components and the electric air compressor are bundled. The electric axles for the truck are assembled in Kassel, for which a new assembly line is being built on site. Gaggenau, in turn, will supply transmission components and housing parts to Kassel.
There are already multiple orders in place for the eActros 600: Tevex Logistics, the logistics subsidiary of the Tönnies Group, signed a letter of intent for the order of 50 units at the beginning of the year. Previously, the Hegelmann Group and Dachser had already expressed their intentions to procure 50 units of the model each. It remains to be seen when exactly these pilot customers will receive the first vehicles.
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