Mercedes electric truck travels 1060 km through the mountains

Mercedes is not giving up the electric truck market to Tesla. Its decarbonized prototype covered 1000 km in one day.

There are tests… and then there are tests. The one involving crossing the Alps with an electric semi-trailer prototype hauling 40 tons, with climbs and descents of mountain passes, is quite revealing.

This is what Mercedes achieved with its eActros 600, which traveled 530 kilometers nonstop between Stuttgart (Mercedes’ headquarters in Germany) and southern Tyrol, specifically Bolzano in Italy, passing through Austria. Once at the destination, the truck recharged and repeated the feat in the opposite direction, similar to a land speed record at Bonneville (Utah), excluding wind influence. Here, the elevation difference of the route is also discounted.

For a total of 1060 km traveled in less than 24 hours. The outward trip took 7 hours. The recharge was treated as a legal rest break for the driver before he resumed his journey.

This exercise aims to demonstrate the relevance of electric traction, including for heavy-duty logistics transportation. As part of its carbon neutrality program, Mercedes F1 team has already announced its intention to soon equip itself with trucks that have the lowest possible carbon footprint for its European travels.

Its fleet of diesel trucks already powers this year with a biofuel that reduces its annual CO2 emissions by 60%, saving about 200 tons. The next step will be switching to 100% electric or the other energy option currently developed by Mercedes: hydrogen.

In terms of communication, Mercedes would be making significant headway over its competitors.

In the United States, an even more formidable rival is rushing to complete the development of its electric truck: Tesla Semi. It boasts staggering performance: acceleration, autonomous driving, and a range of 1600 km in 24 hours. Electric vehicles are thus no longer a fantasy or science fiction to decarbonize logistics operations.

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