Launch of the final test phase of the Mercedes-Benz eEconic before the start of series production: With immediate effect, FES Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH is using the near-series e-truck from Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks for municipal waste collection in Frankfurt am Main. The vehicle was officially handed over to Dirk Remmert, technical managing director of FES, by Dr Ralf Forcher, head of Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, at the FES headquarters in Frankfurt-Bornheim. The fully battery-electric eEconic will celebrate its trade show premiere on 30 May at IFAT – the world’s leading trade show for water, wastewater, waste and raw materials management – in Munich. The start of series production at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth is planned for summer this year.
from left: Dirk Remmert (Technical Managing Director FES), Rosemarie Heilig (Department Head in Frankfurt and Chairman of the Supervisory Board at FES) and Dr. Ralf Forcher (Head of Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks)
„After having successfully completed the internal test series, we are now initiating the final test phase with practical testing at customer sites before the upcoming start of series production. We are delighted that FES is relying on our eEconic and is testing it intensively in municipal applications.“
Dr. Ralf Forcher, Head of Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks
Locally carbon-neutral and silent: The eEconic for sustainable, municipal use
The eEconic has a permissible gross weight of 27 tons. As is the case with the eActros for distribution haulage, the technological heart of the eEconic is the drive unit: An electric axle with two integrated electric motors and a two-speed transmission. The batteries of the eEconic series-production model consist of three battery packs, each with an installed capacity of 112 kWh and a usable capacity of around 97 kWh. Both liquid-cooled motors generate a continuous output of 330 kW as well as a peak output of 400 kW.
The eEconic is characterised by its silent driving style and its pleasant, calm driving experience. The eEconic scores with its lower noise emissions, especially in urban operation in the early hours of the morning. In addition, when driving with foresight, electrical energy can be recovered through recuperation — a major advantage, especially in the stop-and-go operation of refuse collection. At the end of the daily routes, the batteries of the electric truck can be recharged with up to 160 kW at customers’ depots. In addition, the eEconic’s vehicle architecture benefits from Daimler Trucks’ global platform strategy: The drivetrain of the low-floor truck is based on the Mercedes-Benz eActros, which has been in series production at the Wörth plant since October 2021.
„We can no longer ignore climate change, noise and fine dust pollution. As a city, we have to be a role model and also rely on low-emission vehicles for our urban commercial vehicles. FES, as a partner of the city, is switching to environmentally friendly waste disposal. This makes Frankfurt one of the first cities in Germany to consistently move towards e-mobility and the reduction of harmful emissions of its commercial vehicles.“
Rosemarie Heilig, Department Head in Frankfurt and Chairman of the Supervisory Board at FES
The advantages of the eEconic ensure safety, overview and comfort
Proven features of the conventional Econic can also be found in the eEconic. For example, the low panoramic windscreen of the “DirectVision cab” with its low seat position provides the driver with direct visual contact with other road users and enables an extremely good overview of the road traffic. In addition, the coated and heated Thermocontrol windscreen prevents the windscreen from weather-related fogging, increasing the clear view of the traffic area. The windscreen also reduces heating of the interior caused by sunlight.
„As a municipal waste disposal company, we contribute to the common good of our city and its sustainable development. We believe that the eEconic is an important component of our strategy, especially for waste collection vehicle applications – because it can perform its tasks silently and locally carbon-neutral.“
Dirk Remmert, Managing Director of FES
All-electric rear loader from FAUN
The eEconic at FES is equipped with an all-electric rear loader from FAUN. The FAUN VARIOPRESS has a volume capacity of 22 cubic meters. VARIOPRESS offers a very high level of functionality, can be used universally and represents an innovative solution for the disposal of various reusable and waste materials.
Image credits: image 1-3: Daimler Truck AG
