Mercedes-Benz Trucks says the eActros LongHaul, with a range of around 500 km on one battery charge, is scheduled to be ready for series production in 2024. 

This follows the European market launch of the eActros for heavy-duty distribution transport last year.

The first eEconic, aimed at the municipal market, also rolled off the production line at the Wörth plant, in Germany, this month, as Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ second all-electric series production vehicle. 

The German truck maker says the first prototypes of the 40 t eActros LongHaul are already undergoing internal tests and that its engineers are planning to start trials of the e-truck on public roads this year. 

The manufacturer adds that the eActros LongHaul will make use of high-performance charging – so-called ‘megawatt charging’. 

The goal of the ‘High-Performance Charging in Long-Haul Truck Transport’ (HoLa) project, with the participation of Daimler Truck and under the aegis of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, is to plan, erect and operate select high-performance charging infrastructure for battery-electric long-haul truck transport. 

Two high-performance charging points with a megawatt charging system are to be erected in four locations each in Germany and tested in real-world applications. 

Mercedes-Benz Trucks says it is also preparing to launch additional variants of the eActros – specifically of the eActros 300 and the eActros 400.

The company adds that it is working with Siemens Smart Infrastructure, ENGIE and EVBox Group to enable depot charging. 

In terms of public charging for long-distance cross-border transport in Germany, Daimler Truck, Traton Group and the Volvo Group have signed an agreement to establish a joint venture (JV) to enable this possibility. 

The JV provides for the development and operation of a public, high-performance charging network for battery-electric heavy-duty long-haul trucks and coaches in Europe.

The charging network of these three parties will be available to fleet operators in Europe, regardless of brand.

Daimler Truck (which includes Mercedes-Benz Trucks) says it has the ambition to only offer new vehicles in Europe, Japan and North America that are carbon-neutral in operation (‘tank-to-wheel’) by 2039. 

Two battery-electric models, the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro and Mercedes-Benz eActros, have already been rolling off the assembly line in series production since 2018 and 2021, respectively. 

The Mercedes-Benz eEconic, the Fuso eCanter and the Freightliner eCascadia will follow later this year.

In the second half of this decade, the company plans to further supplement its range with series-produced vehicles powered by hydrogen-based fuel cells.