Mercedes-Benz Trucks recently rounded out its eActros “Innovation Fleet,” sending the 10th and final fully electric heavy-duty eActros truck to Hamburg, Germany food logistics specialist Nagel-Group, which will test the truck while delivering refrigerated foodstuffs to supermarkets and other customers.
The first eActros began customer testing in September 2018.
The goal, Mercedes said, is to produce a heavy-duty production vehicle that delivers clean and quiet, short-radius distribution in urban areas beginning in 2021.
“We are delighted that the Nagel-Group, with their many years of experience in food logistics, is one of our customers testing the eActros in daily operations,” said Oliver Kraft, head of key account management at Mercedes-Benz Trucks. “ This vehicle for the Nagel-Group rounds off our ’Innovation Fleet’ for testing the all-electric truck.”
The 18-tonne (19.8-US ton) trucks features a range of 200 kilometers (124 miles) and, as an emission-free vehicle, can operate in zones where diesel trucks are banned, Mercedes maintained. After the daily round, batteries are charged overnight at the company’s depot.
“As a leading family-run business in the food logistics sector, we welcome solutions that are ecological and that make economic sense,” said Carsten Taucke, CEO of the Nagel-Group. “The eActros provides an innovative approach, so we can reduce emissions and, at the same time, meet the high requirements of our deliveries.”
The highly insulated swap body on the eActros used by the Nagel-Group is Schmitz Cargobull’s “W.KO COOL” model, which provides energy-efficient transport of refrigerated goods. The robust body is well-suited for intensive day-to-day use, Mercedes said. The cooling unit is 100% emissions-free and specially designed for short-radius distribution.
As part of practical testing of the eActros “Innovation Fleet,” the vehicles are put through their paces by 20 customers from various sectors as part of their regular daily operations. The tests of this fleet consist of two phases, each with 10 customers. Feedback from these tests flows into further development of the eActros, right up until its readiness for series production, Mercedes said.
“Hamburg provides the ideal urban surroundings for testing a fully electric truck,” said Tobias Jardon, head of the Nagel-Group Hamburg branch. “The Mercedes-Benz eActros will deliver refrigerated goods every day to different customers in the inner city of Hamburg. We are looking forward to seeing how the electric truck performs with the high demands of refrigerated logistics.”
