Mercedes-Benz Trucks delivers first eActros 600 units to transport customers and announces upgrades to Wörth plant charging infrastructure

Following the start of production of the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 electric truck at the Daimler Truck plant in Wörth, Germany last month, the first models were handed over to nine transport customers this week (see box). Daimler Truck will hand over 50 of the long-range eActros 600 by the end of the year.

The first eActros 600 trucks for customers supporting Daimler Truck’s own plant logistics at Wörth is due to begin in Q2 next year, according to the company. Mercedes-Benz Trucks is aiming to electrify 100% of delivery traffic into the Wörth plant by the end of 2026.

“With its 500km range as a 40-ton truck without intermediate charging, the eActros 600 is a real gamechanger for the electrification of long-distance transport,” said Stina Fagerman, head of marketing, sales and services at Mercedes-Benz Trucks. She went on to say that the handover was a special milestone towards sustainable transport, given long-distance truck transport accounts for two-thirds of the CO2 emission of heavy-duty road freight transport in Europe.

Those companies purchasing the eActros 600 have received subsidies from the German Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport. Its policy is to promote light and heavy commercial vehicles with alternative, climate-friendly drive systems and associated fuelling and charging infrastructure. The funding policy is coordinated by the National Organization for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW) and applications are approved by the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility.

The eActros 600 has a battery capacity of more than 600kWh (hence the model designation) with a range of 500km without intermediate charging, helped by the electric drive axle developed by Mercedes-Benz Trucks. With intermediate charging during driver breaks the truck is able to cover more than 1,000 km a day. As part of the eActros 600 European Testing Tour 2024, two prototype eActros 600 trucks travelled 15,000 km through a total of 22 countries with a gross train weight of 40 tons. It was the largest test drive in the history of Mercedes-Benz Trucks.

Charging infrastructure
In November this year the Wörth truck plant celebrated the opening of the new charging park for etrucks with six new fast-charging stations. Those charging points are in addition to the eight that were already in place. Mercedes-Benz Trucks said that the charging infrastructure would support its concept for emission-free inbound logistics to the plant. “It is a further example of the Daimler Truck brand’s TruckCharge offering, which covers topics such as consulting, infrastructure and operation relating to e-infrastructure and the charging of electric trucks,” said the company. “The establishment of an in-house charging infrastructure ensures that haulage companies can charge their trucks during waiting and unloading times.”

In addition to the TruckCharge charging stations, a new 6MW transformer station with has been built to supply power to the fast-charging stations. This is connected to the plant network via a new 20,000-volt high-voltage line.

In December last year Mercedes-Benz Trucks handed over units of its shorter range eActros 300 trucks to transport providers directly serving the Wörth plant with inbound services. Earlier this year Große-Vehne Speditions started deploying two battery-electric eActros 300 semitrailer tractor units for transporting car engines between Mercedes-Benz Truck’s Bad Cannstatt engine plant and its truck assembly plant in Sindelfingen.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has also just started production of its diesel, premium class Actros L truck at the Wörth plant. The company said the Wörth plant’s highly flexible production set-up ensures the efficient manufacture of trucks with different drive types, integrated into one assembly line.