Vandijck Transport from Herentals, Belgium, was one of the first hauliers in Belgium to order two units of the new battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 600. Until the delivery of the new series production vehicles in the second quarter of 2025, Managing Director Guy Vandijck and a driver provided by Daimler Truck Belgium Luxembourg intensively tested a prototype of the eActros 600 on a journey to an end customer in Switzerland.

The route was carefully prepared in advance: in addition to route guidance, charging infrastructure, differences in altitude, vehicle weights and consumption scenarios were also analyzed.

With a gross weight of 33.2 tons, the eActros 600 covered 1,530 kilometers under real conditions and with intermediate charging—including mountain routes, descents and urban traffic.

The recuperation system in particular had a great effect: energy was clearly recovered when driving downhill, which had a positive impact on consumption. The average consumption was 96.3 kWh/100 km. The drive not only provided important insights into the vehicle’s energy consumption and range but also impressed with exceptional handling. The absence of engine noise, the low center of gravity due to the battery arrangement and the general driving stability of the eActros 600 made a positive impression.

Even though the expansion of the public charging infrastructure remains a challenge, Vandijck Transport plans to expand its own charging infrastructure with DC charging devices and photovoltaics. External charging breaks should be combined with regular driver breaks where possible.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks celebrated the series launch of the eActros 600 at the end of November last year at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth. Deliveries to customers began in December 2024. The electric flagship among Mercedes-Benz Trucks has already proven its capabilities several times under real-life conditions: In customer use and as part of the “eActros 600 European Testing Tour 2024”, a 15,000-kilometer all-electric development trip through a total of 22 countries and the “European Testing Tour Winter 2025” on around 6,500 kilometers through Northern Europe, each with a gross combination mass of 40 tons.

In addition, the e-truck was voted “International Truck of the Year 2025”. The award is the most important prize in the industry and is presented annually by the International Truck of the Year (IToY) organization, consisting of 24 commercial vehicle journalists from Europe. The overall technological concept consisting of an electric drive axle and LFP cell technology was decisive for the award.

The high battery capacity of more than 600 kilowatt hours—hence the model designation 600—and a new, particularly efficient electric drive axle developed in-house enable the electric truck to achieve a range of 500 kilometers without intermediate charging. This range is accomplished under realistic and practical conditions with a gross combination mass of 40 tons, which can also be significantly exceeded depending on the driving style and the route. The eActros 600 will even be able to cover well over 1,000 kilometers per day. Intermediate charging during statutory driver breaks makes this possible, provided that charging options are available.

The eActros 600 has three battery packs, each with 207 kWh. These offer an installed total capacity of 621 kWh. The batteries are based on lithium iron phosphate cell technology (LFP) and are characterized by a long service life. In contrast to other battery cell technologies, more than 95% of the installed capacity can also be used with LFP technology. This enables a higher range with the same amount of installed battery capacity. The vehicle is technically designed for a gross combination mass of up to 44 tons. With a standard semitrailer, the eActros 600 has a payload of around 22 tons in the EU. In some cases, national law may allow a higher payload.