Mercedes-Benz Trucks launches Europe-wide test drive for eActros 600
With regard to the planned route, Mercedes-Benz Trucks speaks of “the largest test drive in the company’s history”. The two near-series
prototypes of the BEV truck will each cover more than 13,000 kilometres with a total towing weight of 40 tonnes. The starting point of the test drive, entitled “eActros 600 European Testing Tour 2024”, is Frankfurt on 11 June. The company intends to announce the exact route around the start date.
The manufacturer itself wants to use the tour to collect data on the consumption and possible uses of the electric truck in a wide variety of conditions in order to be able to better advise customers later on. At the same time, the Stuttgart-based company is naturally aiming to arouse interest in its electric flagship: “We want to inform decision-makers from politics and the energy sector as well as the general public about the possibilities of battery-electric drive in the long-distance transport segment and thus further increase the momentum for the development of the necessary infrastructure,” according to an accompanying press release.
To prove that long-distance BEV transport across national borders is possible with the eActros 600, the initiators of the tour only want to charge publicly. The vehicle has a range of between 500 and 600 kilometres. According to Dr Christof Weber, Head of Global Testing Mercedes-Benz Trucks, prototypes of the eActros 600 have already been put through their paces in recent years. “We are now on the home straight with series development. We are sending out a clear signal with the ‘eActros 600 European Testing Tour 2024’ a few months before the start of series production at the end of the year: We are firmly convinced that the two eActros 600 prototypes will cope very well with this enormous feat of strength, the largest test drive by Mercedes-Benz Trucks to date.”
Incidentally, the first customers have already been able to try out the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 recently. In mid-April, it was announced that the first units had arrived at the two logistics companies Contargo and Remondis. Before the market launch, the two camouflaged long-haul trucks with electric drive are being trialled there in everyday use – further customer deployments with different use cases are to follow. In total, a fleet of around 50 prototypes is currently being built. It was announced in 2022 that Amazon and Rhenus would also become test customers for the vehicle, which was still called the eActros LongHaul at the time. The vehicle has only been known as the eActros 600 since its world premiere in October 2023 – electrive was able to take a ride in a prototype just a few days before the premiere.
When series production of the eActros 600 starts in Wörth at the end of 2024, the model will be produced as a tractor unit and platform chassis variant right from the start. According to current company information, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has already received over 1,000 firm orders since the sales launch at the end of last year – plus a four-digit number of declarations of intent.
The company is also making progress with future charging scenarios: Mercedes-Benz Trucks developers recently charged a prototype of the eActros 600 with an output of one megawatt for the first time. This charging power was successfully transferred at a charging station in the company’s own development and test centre in Wörth am Rhein.
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