Daimler Truck battery-electric eActros moves into endurance testing phase

Mercedes-Benz Trucks, part of the Daimler Truck (Stuttgart, Germany) division, has launched a new phase of practical tests for the battery-electric eActros, which has now been approved as a truck-and-trailer combination with a total weight of 40 tons and the ability to transport twice as many load carriers. The vehicle has been handed over to Logistik Schmitt for endurance testing in Germany’s Northern Black Forest and is already available to order for customers in this configuration.

Since the start of testing in 2019, the eActros has covered more than 70,000 kilometers on more than 7,000 trips, according to Daimler. As part this process, it will continue to transport transmission housings and axle components to Daimler Truck plants in Rastatt and Gaggenau as part of a three-shift schedule, covering up to 300 kilometers daily in the process.

“Starting an intensive exchange with customers at an early stage is an integral part of our vehicles’ development. For this reason, our team has been supporting the practical stage of eActros testing at Logistik Schmitt since 2019,” Steffen Maier, head of customer testing, Mercedes-Benz Trucks, says. “Following the successful launch of series production last October, we are now gradually expanding the range of applications for the eActros.”

According to legislation, in order to tow trailers over 10 tons, tractor vehicles of heavy-duty truck-and-trailer combinations must feature a continuous braking system. In the eActros, this continuous brake system is provided by a trailer brake (High Power Brake Resistor, or HPR for short) for battery-electric vehicles. At Logistik Schmitt, the eActros 300 (6x2), designed for operation with a trailer, comes equipped with a center-axle Rockinger trailer coupling. The accompanying trailer is a center-axle trailer with a Junge curtainsider body. With an internal length of 7,280 millimeters, it boasts a permissible gross weight of 18 tons.

In addition, the batteries of the eActros comprise either three (eActros 300) or four battery packs (eActros 400), each of which offers an installed capacity of 112 kilowatt-hours and a usable capacity of around 97 kilowatt-hours. With four battery packs, Daimler Truck says the eActros 400 has a range of up to 400 kilometers.

The technological centerpiece is said to be the drive unit — an electric rigid axle with two integrated electric motors and a two-speed transmission. Both liquid-cooled motors generate a continuous output of 330 kilowatts as well as a top performance of 400 kilowatts. In addition, when driving with foresight, electrical energy can be recovered through recuperation. The energy gained when braking is fed back into the batteries of the eActros, and is then once more available for driving. The eActros can be charged with up to 160 kilowatts:  Three battery packs require just over an hour to charge from 20-80% at a standard DC fast charging station generating a charging current of 400 A.

Daimler Truck is also planning a comparison of concepts within the region, with the fully battery-electric eActros, which is in use at Logistik Schmitt, going head to head with the “eWayBW” project’s overhead-line trucks — Daimler Truck says it has no plans for overhead-line trucks itself, as the company’s strategy is focused on both battery- and hydrogen-powered vehicles. As a result, Daimler Truck can cover all its customers’ uses, providing full flexibility in terms of routes.