Daimler Truck shows electric truck series version

This is how Daimler Truck envisions the long-haul truck of the future. The new battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 truck is designed to cover 500 kilometers without recharging the battery.

Commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck has unveiled the production version of its battery-electric long-haul truck, the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600. Sales are scheduled to start this year and series production is planned for the end of next year, the company said after the presentation on the A7 highway in Egestorf, Lower Saxony.

With a battery capacity of more than 600 kilowatt hours, a range of 500 kilometers without intermediate charging should be possible, according to the group.

In the long term, the e-truck could replace the majority of diesel trucks in the long-haul segment, Daimler Truck said. The timeframe within which cost parity can be achieved varies from country to country, with the price of electricity and diesel and the respective toll system playing a particular role.

More profitable than a diesel truck after five years

In countries such as Germany and France, for example, the e-truck could be more profitable than a diesel long-haul truck within the vehicle's average holding period of about five years or after about 600,000 kilometers - despite an acquisition price that is about two to two-and-a-half times higher, according to Daimler Truck. However, the company did not give exact figures on prices.

»We think it is possible to realize sales with unit numbers in the four-digit range in the first twelve months,« said the head of the Mercedes-Benz Truck brand, Karin Rådström. By 2030, up to 60 percent of sales in Europe could be e-trucks because it would make more sense for many customers from a total cost perspective, Rådström added.

Providing the infrastructure, she said, is a bigger challenge than developing e-trucks. This will determine the speed of electrification in the transport sector, she said.