The Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth is becoming the center for emission-free transport within the Mercedes-Benz truck production network. Management and the works council have agreed on a corresponding target picture for the site. Both parties agreed on key points for the future development and safeguarding of the future of Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ largest location.

Among other things, this includes the decision to locate the production of further trucks with CO₂-neutral drive systems at the Wörth location. In addition to the Mercedes-Benz eActros, which will already go into series production there in October 2021, the production of further Mercedes-Benz zero-emission trucks, such as the eEconic and eActros LongHaul, is also planned for Wörth in the future. Accordingly, Daimler Truck will continue to invest “substantially” in the location in the coming years.

We are laying the foundation for the future of the Mercedes-Benz truck production. The technology shift in our industry towards locally emission-free trucks also implies an immense transition for our locations and production. With the new target picture for the Wörth plant, we are securing the competitiveness and thus the long-term future of the location: In the future, we want to greatly expand the series production of our electric trucks here and are already creating the conditions for this.

—Sven Gräble, Head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks Operations, responsible for the global production network of Mercedes-Benz Trucks

The vision for the future of the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth is determined in a works agreement with a term until the end of 2029. The details for implementation will be further elaborated between management and works council in the coming months. Substantial funds will be required for the upcoming transformation of the site, including the conversion of production. The company will continue to invest in the site for this purpose in the coming years; however, the transformation also requires support from the public sector.

Accordingly, Daimler Truck AG has submitted an application to the German government as part of the funding for hydrogen and fuel-cell technologies, which also includes the conversion at the Wörth plant. The state government of Rhineland-Palatinate has already signalled its support in the last government declaration.

In its transformation toward CO₂-neutral transportation, Daimler Truck is consistently relying on two all-electric drive technologies: battery-electric and hydrogen-based fuel-cell. With these, every customer application can be covered with full flexibility in terms of routes—from well-plannable, urban distribution to difficult-to-plan, multi-day transports. Which solution is used by the customer depends on the specific application.

The battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros for routes in distribution transport will go into series production at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth in October 2021, followed by the eEconic next year. The battery-electric eActros LongHaul for long-haul transport will follow from the middle of the decade. With the decision to manufacture the zero-emission trucks in Wörth, the company is securing the long-term capacity utilization of the plant and stable employment at the site.

In addition to the products, the entire Wörth site, including production, will be CO₂-neutral from 2022, just like all other European Daimler Truck plants.