HANNOVER (dpa-AFX) – The commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck wants to bring the electric drive to the road more in heavy-duty long-distance traffic in the future. In addition, the Swabians presented the first corresponding battery truck for long-distance transport at an event on the eve of the IAA Transportation commercial vehicle trade fair in Hanover on Sunday. The vehicle with the name “eActros LongHaul” should be ready for series production in 2024 and have a range of around 500 kilometers with one battery charge.
Long-distance transport offers the greatest opportunities to reduce exhaust emissions, said Mercedes truck division boss Karin Radström. The range is also a big challenge. The manufacturer has been working on this for the past few years. Customers in Europe could cover most of their journeys with a range of 500 kilometers.
“In terms of selling price, we are not yet on par with a diesel engine,” admitted Radstrom. However, the running costs of the freight forwarders for energy consumption are lower. “We are continuously expanding our portfolio of battery-electric trucks,” said the manager.
Daimler truck boss Martin Daum pointed out that the group already had eight purely battery-electric production vehicles to offer this year. However, the range of electric models alone is not enough. “Our customers also need the right infrastructure,” he said. “For rapid development, it is essential that the entire industry and politicians pull together.” The automotive industry, through its lobby association VDA, has long been demanding more political support for the expansion of charging stations and networks in both the car and truck sectors.
In the new eActros LongHaul heavy-duty long-distance truck, the battery cells with an output of around one megawatt can be “charged from 20 to 80 percent in well under 30 minutes”. According to the Dax (DAX 40) group, three battery packs deliver a total installed capacity of more than 600 kilowatt hours. The heavy electric truck is designed for a mileage of 1.2 million kilometers in ten years of operation.
The vehicle is to be manufactured entirely on the existing assembly line at the plant in Wörth, Rhineland-Palatinate. This also included the installation of all electrical components and the commissioning of the vehicle at the end of the line. This enables high production capacities and parallel production of both conventional and fully electric trucks on the same line.
Compared to rival Volvo (Volvo AB (B)), the company will probably have to catch up when it starts with the heavy-duty electric truck in 2024. The Swedes announced last week that they would start producing the electric versions of their important heavy-duty trucks this year.
When it comes to hydrogen fuel cells, Daimler Truck is working with Volvo in a joint venture. For Daimler truck boss Daum, the type of drive is also important in addition to the battery-electric drive – the commercial vehicle industry can only achieve its goal with a “dual strategy”, he said.
Daimler Truck also wants to step up its game in the field of buses. The company is confident that it will only sell emission-free buses in Europe in 2030, said division head Till Oberwörder./rwi/men
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