The battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 goes into customer testing. The first two test vehicles of the e-truck for long-distance haulage presented last year will be successively put into operation in the next few weeks by container logistics company Contargo and recycling specialist REMONDIS. Both companies are part of the global RETHMANN Group.
Contargo will use its e-truck for several months for the transportation of containers between the port of Wörth am Rhein and various loading and unloading points. The vehicle is planned to cover more than 800 kilometers a day. In a first step, the vehicle will be charged at a fast-charging station at the Contargo terminal in Karlsruhe. In the near future, Contargo is planning to set up its own charging infrastructure at its depot. According to Contargo, the company is currently building the largest private charging network for heavy-duty electric trucks in Germany, with 90 charging points at 18 locations.
REMONDIS will use the test vehicle in Cologne as part of the so-called HoLa-project. The objective of HoLa is the construction and operation of a high-performance charging infrastructure for battery-electric long-distance transport. In addition to Daimler Truck, other consortium partners from industry and research institutes are also involved in the project. The test vehicle for REMONDIS is primarily used for the transportation of recycled raw materials and is equipped with a trailer by Kögel.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks plans to hand over further test vehicles to customers with different use cases. Stina Fagerman, head of marketing, sales and services at Mercedes-Benz Trucks: “The testing of e-trucks with customers before the start of production has proven very successful. This is why we are also relying on practical tests for the eActros 600. We are very pleased that Contargo and REMONDIS will be the first customers to test the eActros 600 in real operation.”
Taking over the eActros 600 customer vehicles in Wörth am Rhein
REMONDIS relies on Kögel trailer for the eActros 600 test
Sascha Hähnke, managing director of REMONDIS Sustainable Services GmbH:
“As one of the world’s leading companies for recycling, water management and municipal and industrial services, sustainability is part of our everyday lives. We have already gained many valuable experiences with electric trucks over the past few years. For us, it was therefore just natural to be the first company to participate in customer testing of the eActros 600. Especially in the circular economy, everything starts with logistics. We are delighted to be able to take another step towards climate neutrality with the electric truck.”
The Kögel Cargo is the flagship of the Kögel trailer series and also the best-selling trailer of the manufacturer from Burtenbach. Its high degree of customisation, outstanding reliability and high payload make the Kögel Cargo the first choice for the transport industry. But it is not only the product benefit that is the focus of this collaboration. It is above all the understanding of sustainable transport solutions that unites REMONDIS and Kögel. “We were impressed by the consistent advancement of a sustainability strategy at REMONDIS”, says Christian Renners, CEO of Kögel Trailer GmbH. “As a leading trailer manufacturer, we are equally committed to acting sustainably. However, the concept of sustainability at Kögel includes not only the environment, but also customers, employees and partnerships. We have the same understanding here as REMONDIS.”
The Mercedes-Benz eActros 600
The high battery capacity of more than 600 kilowatt hours – hence the model designation 600 – and a new, particularly efficient electric drive axle developed in-house, enable the e-truck to achieve a range of 500 kilometers1 without intermediate charging. Therefore, the eActros 600 will be able to travel significantly more than 1,000 kilometers per day. This is made possible by intermediate charging during the legally prescribed driver breaks – even without megawatt-charging.
In addition to CCS charging with up to 400 kW, the eActros 600 will later also enable megawatt charging (MCS). Customers can order a pre-installation for this. The batteries can be charged from 20 to 80 percent in about 30 minutes2 at a suitable charging station with an output of around one megawatt.
Visually, the e-truck is characterised by a fundamentally new, puristic design with clear lines and an aerodynamic shape. When it comes to profitability for fleet operators, the electric truck is intended to set new standards, over the long term replacing the majority of diesel trucks in the important long-haul transport segment. The core of Mercedes-Benz Trucks‘ concept for battery-electric long-distance transport is to offer customers a holistic solution consisting of vehicle technology, consulting, charging infrastructure and services.
The start of series production is planned for the end of 2024. In addition to the tractor unit, Mercedes-Benz Trucks will also produce rigid variants of the eActros 600 right from market launch, offering customers further possible applications for all-electric transport.
1 The range was determined internally under specific test conditions, after preconditioning with a 4×2 tractor unit with 40t total towing weight at 20°C outside temperature in long-haul operation and may deviate from the values determined in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/2400.
2 Based on internal simulations since a binding and uniform Megawatt Charging System (MCS) standard is currently under development.
Image credits: © Daimler Truck AG
