Mercedes-Benz Trucks has announced the world premiere of its eActros 600.
Previously known as the eActros LongHaul, the vehicle will be officially introduced to the world on 10 October, 2023, with a new design and the new name.
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, efficient electric drive axle developed in-house enable a range of around 500 kilometres without intermediate charging.
The manufacturer expects that the e-truck will significantly accelerate the far-reaching transformation of road freight transport towards CO2-neutral drives.
Since the first appearance of the electric truck as a “concept prototype” at the IAA Transportation 2022, further test vehicles have been built at the Mercedes-Benz plant Wörth – with central components coming from the Mercedes-Benz plants Mannheim, Kassel and Gaggenau.
Prototypes of the vehicle were put through their paces during winter testing in Finland at the beginning of the year.
A fleet of around 50 prototype vehicles is currently being built, which is also planned to go into practical testing with the first customers in the next step.
At the same time, the four plants are intensively preparing for series production of the e-truck which is planned for 2024.
“The eActros 600, produced in Wörth, is able to replace the majority of diesel trucks in the important long haul segment, as it sets new standards in terms of cost-effectiveness for our customers,” said Karin Rådström, CEO Mercedes-Benz Trucks.
“It also offers huge potential for reducing CO2 emissions. I am convinced that this truck will define the new benchmark in road freight transport.”
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 centres for electric drive components.
“With the eActros 600, the focus of production at our Mercedes-Benz Powersystems plants in Mannheim, Kassel and Gaggenau is shifting more and more to e-mobility,” said Yaris Pürsün, Head of Global Powersystems Operation Daimler Truck.
“We therefore started to make preparations at an early stage by setting up a production and technology network of competence centres for electric drive components and are already in the midst of preparing for series production of the new generation of our power units.”
The Mercedes-Benz plant Mannheim, the leading plant for commercial vehicle engines, draws on the more than 25 years of experience of the site-based Competence Center for Emission-Free Mobility (KEM) and focuses on battery technologies and high-voltage systems.
Several control units, high-voltage components as well as the electric air compressor are brought together in the front box – the assembly of all individual components, from frame preparation to the high-voltage tests of these units, is carried out at the Mercedes-Benz Mannheim plant.
The Mercedes-Benz Gaggenau plant, which specialises in heavy-duty commercial vehicle transmissions, is currently developing into a competence centre for electric drive components. Already since 2021, important parts for the electric axle of the eActros 300/400 for distribution haulage and the eEconic have been manufactured in Gaggenau.
Essential components of the new e-axle generation which will propel the eActros 600, will also be produced in Gaggenau – currently still on a prototype level, then later in series production.
These are mainly mechanical parts, similar to the ones Gaggenau has been producing for vehicles with conventional powertrains for many years: Transmission components such as shafts and gears as well as housing parts, which Gaggenau delivers to Kassel, where the complete assembly of the axle and transmission components takes place.
The e-axles are assembled at the Mercedes-Benz Kassel plant, the competence centre for conventional axles and electric drive systems.
The new e-axle generation for the eActros 600 was specially developed for use in long-distance haulage.
It has a number of technical innovations for higher performance and efficiency. Its architecture is also based on a system designed for 800 volts instead of 400 volts.
The Kassel plant is currently in the prototype phase of e-axle assembly for the eActros 600. For the start of series production, a new assembly line will be created, including test and inspection stations for the functional and safety-related features.
As is the case with the e-axle, which is currently used in the eActros 300/400 and eEconic, and which is already manufactured in Kassel, the “common parts principle” also applies to the new generation. This means that the body axle as well as the wheel end and brake components originate from the conventional axle, which the Kassel plant has been manufacturing for over two decades.
A new design language for the driver’s cab of the eActros 600 breaks with the familiar look of the Actros model series, picks up design elements from the concept prototype presented at the IAA and continues them with clear lines and an aerodynamic design. The interior is also being upgraded.
Three battery packs provide the eActros 600 with an installed total capacity of over 600 kWh in series production and two electric motors as part of the new e-axle generate a continuous output of 400 kW as well as a peak output of over 600 kW.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks will also produce rigid variants of the eActros 600 right at market launch. This will offer customers numerous other possible use cases in fully electric transport.
.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
