A Mercedes-Benz eActros, exterior, 2 x electric wheel hub motor, 240 kW, 2 x 485 Nm, wheel formula 6x2, M cab. © Mercedes-Benz Trucks

With the all-electric eActros truck, Mercedes-Benz Trucks is demonstrating that heavy-duty distribution transport in the Murg Valley is already possible today with zero local emissions and low noise levels. The eActros was officially handed over to Logistik Schmitt, a company based in the region, at Daimler Trucks' annual press conference at the Unimog Museum in Gaggenau.

As part of the eWayBW project, goods transportation on the B462 near Rastatt is to be electrified on a trial basis from 2020 with the operation of overhead line trucks. While preparations for setting up the necessary infrastructure are still underway, the eActros is already flexibly mobile on battery power alone and requires a minimum of infrastructure; all it needs is a charging station.

From spring this year, Logistik Schmitt will be using the eActros instead of a conventional diesel truck for a practical test transporting transmission housings. The eActros will operate in a demanding three-shift operation between the Logistik Schmitt warehouse in Ötigheim and the Rastatt section of the Mercedes-Benz plant in Gaggenau, around seven kilometers away. The daily route of the 25-ton truck is around 168 kilometers in total. This marks the start of several years of practical testing of the eActros in the Murg Valley and surrounding area. In a next step, comparative tests will be carried out with the overhead line project. An enhanced version of the eActros will be used as a tractor unit with a higher tonnage and range.

Stefan Buchner, Head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks: "Our eActros has been on public roads since June 2018 and has already covered over 30,000 kilometers driven purely on battery power. Since last September, we have also been gathering experience with the eActros in regular everyday use together with customers. Its 200 kilometer range has so far proven to be absolutely realistic. The eActros completes its transport job completely independently of the route or other conditions. The cost of installing one charging station per customer is comparatively low. There is every indication that we are on the right track with the eActros concept. Our goal is to realize locally emission-free and quiet driving in cities from 2021, even with heavy series trucks - and to do so economically on a par with diesel trucks."

"We are delighted that Logistik Schmitt is now using the eActros and are looking forward to further interesting findings from operational practice," Buchner continues.

First phase: practical test on the Ötigheim-Rastatt shuttle route

Rainer Schmitt, Managing Partner of Logistik Schmitt: "In the face of new challenges in logistics, we consistently focus on innovations - provided we recognize potential in them. The approach that Mercedes-Benz Trucks is pursuing with the eActros is convincing across the board. With the practical test of the eActros at our company, we are happy to make a contribution to making the transportation of the future even more ecological and sustainable. The commuter route from Ötigheim to Rastatt is ideal for this project. In this way, we can put the eActros through its paces in tough three-shift operation - under continuous load. The eActros drives exactly the same route as the conventional Actros with diesel engine, which it replaces. This provides an excellent basis for comparison."

In the first phase of the eActros test deployment, Logistik Schmitt is integrating a vehicle with a swap body into the company fleet. The eActros transports a total weight of up to twelve tons and makes twelve trips a day. The batteries of the eActros are also charged during loading and unloading of the vehicle, so that the total range of the eActros of up to 200 kilometers is optimally utilized. Initially, charging takes place via a mobile charging station.

Second phase: driving parallel to the overhead line truck

From the second phase of the eActros project in Murg Valley, an enhanced version of the e-truck in the tractor unit variant will replace the 25-tonne truck from the first phase. Logistik Schmitt will then use the eActros tractor unit to deliver axle components from the warehouse in Ötigheim to the Mercedes-Benz plant in Gaggenau, a good 14 kilometers away - mainly via the B462. This route therefore largely corresponds to that of the overhead line project. The specifications of the eActros semitrailer tractor will also be comparable to those of the overhead line trucks, including a higher tonnage and range. The parallel operation of the eActros and the overhead line truck, which will last around a year, will provide the most important data and findings for the comparison of the two concepts, for example on the vehicles' suitability for use.

Third phase: direct comparison with the overhead line truck

In the third project phase of the eActros deployment in the Murg Valley, which is expected to take place within the second phase, the tractor unit will drive the exact overhead line route for approximately one to two weeks for a direct comparison. This serves to validate the second phase. In the direct comparison, the eActros - just like the trucks in the overhead line project - transports paper rolls on the approx. 18-kilometer route from the paper mills in Gernsbach-Obertsrot to the Fahrner logistics site in Kuppenheim.

A conventional diesel Actros will be equipped with measurement technology in accordance with the Euro VI emissions standard and will drive along the overhead contact line route as a neutral point of contact for the concept comparison. In this way, the energy consumption of the electric trucks - battery-electric and overhead line - will be compared with the consumption of a diesel truck. According to Daimler, it is working on future solutions that have a high probability of being implemented worldwide. At the moment, the company does not see this happening with overhead lines due to their high infrastructure costs - also in view of the rapid development of battery and fuel cell technology.