HANNOVER (Reuters) – Daimler Truck will start producing its first fully-electric heavy truck Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 in November this year, the bus and truckmaker said on Sunday.
Daimler Truck received 2,000 orders for the eActros600 after sales began at the end of last year. It did not disclose the battery-electric truck’s purchase price, but has previously said it was 2.5 times higher than Daimler Truck’s diesel equivalents.
Karin Radstrom, head of the Mercedes-Benz Truck Unit due to become Daimler Truck’s chief executive in October, said the vehicle’s high energy efficiency meant it would be a profitable purchase for fleet operators.
The truck, which will be produced on Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ existing assembly line in Woerth am Rhein, Germany parallel to diesel vehicles, is capable of driving 500 kilometres on one battery charge and carrying 22 tonnes of cargo.
Daimler Truck’s diesel equivalents can carry up to 25 tonnes of cargo and drive 1,600 kilometres a day on one fuelling on average.
Swedish peer Volvo’s FH Electric truck can drive 600 kilometers on one full battery charge.
Prices of emissions-free trucks need to fall by as much as half to make them an affordable alternative to diesel models, a study by consultancy firm McKinsey published earlier this month showed.
(Reporting by Andrey Sychev and Ilona Wissenbach, Writing by Andrey Sychev, Editing by Victoria Waldersee)
