15,000 kilometers in a Mercedes eActros 600 electric!
This page is translated from the original post "15 000 kilomètres en Mercedes eActros 600 électrique !" in French.
- 27/08/2024 13:57
One must have confidence in their products to launch them on such a journey across Europe. A challenge successfully met by Mercedes.
Two pre-production prototypes of the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 embarked on a road trip this summer. The itinerary included 45 days of travel across 22 countries, totaling more than 15,000 km. A small feat for a truck with a conventional engine, but quite a challenge for these new electric behemoths, with zero CO2 emissions throughout the journey! To demonstrate the versatility of the vehicles, the developers charged the two long-distance trucks exclusively at public charging stations. Whether seen as madness or immense confidence, around thirty journalists from 20 European countries accompanied the trip, most of them taking the wheel.
The star is projecting itself into the future
The goal of the exercise was to prove that electric powertrains are not solely destined for daily trips from one charging point to another. According to Mercedes, about 60% of their customers’ long-distance trips in Europe are under 500 kilometers, which is the announced range of the eActros 600. It is rumored that during this road trip, both vehicles exceeded this range and that the final figures, which will be revealed during the IAA Transportation event to be held in Hanover in September, should be surprising.
However, beyond 500 km, the infrastructure for charging at depots and loading and unloading points is sufficient. For all other uses, a real public charging infrastructure will need to be developed to make electric trucks viable. Rather than being a bystander, Mercedes has chosen to be an active player, just like Milence, a joint venture between Daimler Truck, Traton Group, and Volvo Group created in July 2022. Last April, Mercedes successfully charged a prototype of the eActros 600 at a charging station with a power of one megawatt for the first time. With the development of this technology, batteries could soon be charged from 20 to 80% in about 30 minutes at an appropriate charging station. Is this enough to inspire new travel ambitions?
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