E-trucks on the Swabian Alb: Daimler testing the eActros 600 for long-distance haulage

The varied Places of an area land, especially the position of its rivers, mountains on the Swabian Alb is particularly suitable for testing the electric truck and both as a semitrailer tractor and as a rigid variant

Germany: Leinfelden-Echterdingen / Munsingen.,  -Daimler truck AG, is currently testing prototypes of the battery-electric eActros 600 on the test site of the former military training ground in Munsingen, Switzeland and on public roads in the vicinity. The eActros 600 is expected to be ready for series production in 2024 and will have a range of around 500 km without intermediate charging.

The varied Places of an area land, especially the position of its rivers, mountains on the Swabian Alb is particularly suitable for testing the electric truck and both as a semitrailer tractor and as a rigid variant – under various conditions. For tests around the acoustics of the eActros 600, the engineers relied on the tried-and-tested acoustics test track in Munsingen, which offers an ideal test environment due to its quiet location.  

Mercedes-Benz Trucks will be presenting the series version of the previous eActros LongHaul on October 10, 2023, with a new design and the new name of eActros 600 as a world premiere. The designation 600 is derived from the battery capacity in kilowatt hours – as in the eActros 300/400 for distribution haulage. The high battery capacity and a new, particularly efficient electric drive axle developed in-house enable a range of around 500 kilometers without intermediate charging. 

The eActros 600 will be produced on the existing assembly line at the Wörth production plant, parallel to and flexibly alongside the trucks to be equipped with a diesel drive. The electric drive components will also be installed at that site. The e-axle, high-voltage batteries and the front box, a complex technology module, are mounted in several production steps. The component plants Mannheim, Kassel and Gaggenau also play an important role in the electrification of the product portfolio. Just like the Wörth plant, all three locations are currently undergoing the process of shifting away from diesel technology to become competence centers for electric drive components.