Mercedes-Benz Trucks has delivered an eActros battery-electric 18-tonne truck to international logistics provider Dachser. Dachser will test the truck in regular operations in and around Stuttgart. The eActros is part of the “innovation fleet” from Mercedes-Benz Trucks for practical testing of the heavy-duty electric truck.

Dachser will use the eActros to deliver general cargo—meaning palletized shipments above 32 kg, which are too large and heavy for regular parcel shipping —to its customers in Stuttgart’s city center. Additionally, the eActros will also supply the Dachser microhub in Stuttgart’s Heslach district with items for last-mile delivery. The loading area of the eActros offers space for 18 pallets.

Since March 2018 two light-duty FUSO eCanter trucks from Daimler Trucks have been in operation with Dachser in Stuttgart and Berlin. The battery-electric 7.5-tonne truck is also a key player in the emission-free vehicle mix at Dachser.

The eActros is based on the frame of the Mercedes-Benz Actros. Beyond that, the vehicle’s architecture has been entirely designed around the electric drive and thus features a high percentage of vehicle-specific components.

Two electric motors near the wheel hubs of the rear axle provide for the vehicle’s drive power with a respective output of 126 kW and maximum torque of 485 N·m each. The transmission ratio used sees this brought up to 11,000 N·m on each wheel. Performance is thus on par with a conventional truck.

Lithium-ion batteries with 240 kWh capacity provide the eActros with the required energy. Depending on the available charging output, the batteries can be charged completely within as little as two hours (at 150 kW).

eActros “innovation fleet”. As part of practical testing of the eActros "innovation fleet", the 18 or 25-tonne vehicles are put through their paces by 20 customers from various sectors as part of their regular daily operations.

The tests of this innovation fleet consist of two phases, each with ten customers. Insights from these practical tests flow directly into further development of the eActros for series production. The aim is to make clean and quiet distribution in urban areas possible with heavy-duty trucks from 2021 onward. The first eActros has already been in operation with a customer since September 2018.