Move over Tesla Semi, this is Merc’s all-electric long-haul lorry

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has unveiled its first ever production electric long-haul lorry, with sales of this eActros 600 set to start later this year and production kicking off at the end of 2024.

We’ll get straight to the stats, because of course that’s what you’re here for. Mercedes has used three separate lithium iron (yep, iron not ion) phosphate battery packs that add up to provide a total capacity of 621kWh. Sounds massive, but it’s still some way off the 800kWh unit in the long range Tesla Semi.

While the Tesla claims around 500 miles on a single charge though, Merc reckons drivers will manage 311 miles of range in the eActros. That works out at almost exactly... 0.5mi/kWh. Blimey.

They’ll then be able to rapid charge at speeds of up to 400kW, although a future upgrade will see megawatt (1,000kW) charging capability when the tech becomes commonplace in Europe. That would mean a 20 to 80 per cent top up would take just 30 minutes. 

“Around 60 per cent of long-distance journeys of Mercedes-Benz Trucks customers in Europe are shorter than 500 kilometres [311 miles] anyway,” claims Merc’s press release. “Which means charging infrastructure at the depot and at loading and unloading points is sufficient in such cases.”

The eActros’s smooth front end, an extra roof spoiler, cameras for mirrors and underbody panelling help to make it nine per cent more aerodynamic than the current diesel Actros cab. Looks quite futuristic and Stormtrooper-esque too, doesn’t it?

It’ll sound futuristic too, with an ‘external Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS)’ that’s apparently designed to convey that this is a heavy vehicle rather than just a Renault Zoe. 

In terms of driving, the tractor unit gets an 800V electric axle with two electric motors and a four-speed transmission that’s specifically designed for heavy-duty EVs. Peak output of the motors is a healthy 805bhp, and there’s regen braking too with five different levels, plus a full one-pedal driving mode. 

You get all of the usual lorry tech too and plenty of active safety systems, and the payload is around 22 tonnes with a standard trailer to allow for a gross combination weight of 44 tonnes.

Oh, and Merc reckons that by running one of these in France or Germany it’ll start to save you money after 600,000km (around 373,000 miles) despite it being between more than twice as expensive to buy as a diesel equivalent.

Mercedes also says that it has designed the eActros to meet the same durability requirements as its standard Actros, so it’ll cope with 1.2 million km (746,000 miles) in just 10 years of operation. Good grief. At that point we’re told that the battery health should still be over 80 per cent, and over a full lifetime this eActros would emit 80 per cent less CO2 than a diesel truck. 

However, Mercedes’ press release for the eActros does admit that “continual expansion of public charging infrastructure is vital in order to make the electric truck viable for long-distance haulage across Europe”.

Thoughts, folks?