Bjørn Nyland Checks Out Mercedes-Benz eActros Electric Truck

It has a 420 kWh battery and up to about 400 km (250 miles) of range.

Mercedes-Benz eActros (source: Bjørn Nyland)

Mark Kane

By: Mark Kane

Sep 27, 2021 at 12:01pm ET

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The all-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros is a heavy-duty distribution truck, which was unveiled in production version earlier this year. It is currently entering production at the Wörth plant in Germany.

Recently, Bjørn Nyland had an opportunity to see the eActros at Daimler's facility in Germany and not only check it out, but also take a ride and see it fast charging.

With a 420 kWh battery, the truck should be able to go up to around 400 km (250 miles) on a single charge. There is also a smaller battery version - 315 kWh for about 300 km (186 miles) of range.

The first impressions are really positive as Mercedes-Benz did a lot to make the vehicle as efficient as possible while maintaining the Actros model's overall construction.

There should be no payload penalty due to the battery weight, as the electric trucks received approval to weigh 1,000 kg more than diesel ones of the same class. This is a temporary solution until EVs can easily fit within the limits through using lighter batteries or structural battery packs.

Mercedes-Benz eActros (2021)

Mercedes-Benz eActros

In terms of fast charging, Mercedes-Benz says that its continuous rate is about 160 kW, but at peak, it can go up to over 200 kW (for about 10 minutes or so).

In the demonstration, the truck started at over 90 kW around 56% State of Charge (SOC), and quickly increased to over 160 kW at 57% SOC, over 190 kW at 58%, and to a peak of 207 kW at 61% SOC (490 A, 423 V).

The charging rate could be higher, but we guess that it's not bad for commercial use - especially if there is a charging possibility when loading/unloading.

What do you think?

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Comments

An interesting thing is that, at least in the truck shown in the presentation, there is no onboard charger for AC charging.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz eActros (2021)

Mercedes-Benz eActros (2021)

Mercedes-Benz eActros Mercedes-Benz eActros (2021)

Mercedes-Benz eActros specs:

Two battery/range options (3x or 4x 105 kWh packs, total):
315 kWh
420 kWh for up to 400 km (250 miles) of range
total vehicle weight of up to 40 t
system output of up to 400 kW (peak) and 430 kW (continuous)
e-axle with integrated two electric motors, which are coupled with a two-speed transmission
fast charging at up to 160 kW continuous (over 200 kW peak)
315 kWh: 20-80% in a little bit over 1 h in optimum conditions
420 kWh: info N/A