Mercedes, the New Heavyweight in Electric Trucks

With electric truck sales up 183% in the first quarter of 2024, Mercedes is accelerating its decarbonization of transport.

Pumping the gas and breaking taboos. This is the challenge Mercedes is currently undertaking to gently persuade its clients to switch to electric road freight. The technology is now mature, the charging network is slightly less so. Long highway journeys still frighten transporters, but daily rotations with controlled mileage before returning to the garage for recharging are more manageable.

Thus, in the first quarter of 2024, while the total volume of truck sales is declining for Mercedes Daimler Trucks (108,911 units compared to 125,172 in the same period in 2023, a decrease of 13%), the volume of electric trucks has surged. An increase of +183% year-on-year. In total, 813 units were sold, which represents only 0.74% of the overall volume, but the pump is now primed. In the first quarter of 2023, the figure was just 287 units.

High purchase prices

Aside from the charging network, the second barrier to the adoption of electric trucks is the purchase price. The new Actros 600e from Mercedes, a true competitor to the Tesla Semi or its copy by Decathlon, is still twice as expensive as its diesel equivalent. Transporters need to understand that the savings in operation will be significantly greater, as an average semi-trailer consumes 30 liters per 100 km. The average mileage is then 130,000 kilometers per year, which translates to about 60,000 euros in fuel costs. Thus, over three years, the additional cost is amortized.

Mercedes is also benefiting from a strong electric customer base for its range of city buses, as local authorities seek to reduce air pollution in cities while making them quieter.

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