Mercedes-Benz Trucks has unveiled the production version of the first battery-electric long-haul truck for the European market. The manufacturer revealed its eActros 600 yesterday to an audience at an event south of Hamburg, Germany. The new truck’s premier follows a road test across the Alps last week of a prototype loaded with up to 40 tons of cargo, from Stuttgart to Bolzano in South Tyrol, Italy, and back—a total distance of more than 1100 km (620 mi)—with only one charging stop.

The new e-truck features a battery capacity of more than 600 kW·h—hence the model designation 600—and a new electric drive axle developed by Mercedes, enabling the e-truck to achieve a range of 500 km (310 mi) without intermediate charging. The company pointed out that the eActros 600’s ability to travel more than 1000 km per day is made possible by intermediate charging during prescribed driver breaks, which are legally required in the European Union, even without megawatt-charging.

Mercedes also noted that about 60% of long-distance journeys of Mercedes-Benz Trucks customers in Europe are shorter than 500 km, which means charging at depots, as well as loading and unloading points, is sufficient. For all other uses, the company said continuous expansion of public charging infrastructure is vital to make electric trucks viable for long-distance freight transport across Europe.

In addition to CCS (combined charging system) charging up to 400 kW, future plans for the eActros 600 include a megawatt (MCS), which will be available for customers as a pre-installation option when sales start later this year. The new e-truck will also be capable of MCS retrofit when the technology becomes available and is standardized across manufacturers. Mercedes claims its new truck’s batteries can be charged from 20% to 80% in about 30 min at a suitable charging station with an output of around 1 MW.

The eActros 600 is designed for a gross combination weight capacity of up to 44 ton. With a standard semitrailer, the e-truck has a payload of around 22 ton in the EU.

Visually, the e-truck has a new design with clean lines and an aerodynamic shape. In addition to a tractor unit, there will also be rigid variants at market launch, offering customers further options for all-electric transport. A fleet of about fifty prototype vehicles is currently being built, some of which will be put into practical testing with the first customers.

“The eActros 600 stands for the transformation of road freight transport towards CO2-neutrality like no other truck with a three-pointed star,” said Karin Rådström, CEO, of Mercedes-Benz Trucks. “It is characterized by highly innovative drive technology that can offer our customers particularly high energy efficiency and thus profitability. This makes entry into e-mobility even more attractive for fleet operators.”

The CO2 footprint of the e-truck will depend on the electricity mix used for driving. With the current European energy mix, it achieves CO2 savings of around 40% compared to similar diesel Actros models and, with fully renewable energy, of more than 80% over the vehicle’s entire product life cycle of ten years from raw material extraction. This translates to a savings of around 370 or 775 ton of CO2, according to Mercedes. As a result, the e-truck can compensate for the higher CO2 footprint due to its batteries within its second or first year of operation in long-haul transport.

The eActros 600 features three 207 kW·h battery packs, providing a total capacity of 621 kW·h. They are based on lithium iron phosphate cell (LFP) technology and offer a long service life.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks said it has designed the e-truck to meet the same durability requirements as a comparable conventional heavy-duty long-haul Actros, which the company said means up to 1.2 million km of service in ten years of operation. After that, the battery’s state of health should still be over 80%, according to the company. In addition, it says that about 95% of the installed LFP capacity can be used, resulting in a greater range.

The truck maker developed an 800-V electric axle with two electric motors and a four-speed transmission specifically for heavy-duty long-haul transport applications. The electric motors generate continuous 400 kW and peak 600 kW outputs for what it describes as powerful acceleration, high driving comfort, and high driving dynamics. The full motor output is always available with almost no interruption in torque.

The drive system also features electricity recuperation. Depending on the situation, the driver can choose among five levels, with one-pedal driving optionally enabled on the touchscreen in the digital cockpit.

The truck’s PPC (Predictive Powertrain Control) cruise and transmission control is specially tuned to the electric drive system. The anticipatory drivetrain control automatically considers the topography, road course, and traffic signs for the most efficient driving style. Navigation system route information is now included to facilitate better recognition of the road situation ahead. This allows the driver to avoid unnecessary braking, accelerating, and shifting and use the battery energy as efficiently as possible.

Other features of the new eActros 600 include the Multimedia Cockpit Interactive 2 system, power take-offs for work equipment or refrigerated semitrailers, an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) to help protect pedestrians and several automated safety assistance systems.