The German truck maker has teased there will be a “hint of the future” on its stand at the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show. Punters will have to visit the event to find out whether this includes its new ‘long-haul’ variant of the eActros
Mercedes-Benz Trucks and its parent company Daimler Truck are pivoting hard towards zero-emission vehicles, with the brand announcing its plans to sell CO2-neutral vehicles only in North America, Europe and Japan from 2039.
The German-based giant also launched the eActros earlier this year in Europe, the company’s battery-powered, near-silent version of its hugely popular Actros model, and the good news is it’s coming to Australia.
Well, sort of … four evaluation units are arriving Down Under in early 2023 for extensive trials, while a single unit will also be trialed across the ditch in New Zealand.
The brand will be keen to see how its battery-electric technology — which is already in production and out on the road in Europe — fairs in the Australian conditions.
The eActros is best suited to heavy-duty, short-radius distribution, however, Mercedes-Benz Trucks did just lift the curtain on an all-new ‘long-haul’ variant of the eActros with a claimed range of 500km. This could be a game changer.
Additionally, validation trials will also begin in early 2023 for the new Mercedes-Benz all-electric eConic. The eConic has been designed from the ground up to work in densely-populated urban areas, with waste collection its bread and butter. Electric trucks are gaining traction with local councils around the country due to their lack of noise, a sure-selling point of the eConic.
“Waste collection represents the perfect application for a near-silent electric truck that produces zero local emissions as these vehicles operate on the doorsteps of our community,” Mercedes-Benz Trucks Australia Pacific director Andrew Assimo says.
“We are excited to work with our Australian and New Zealand customers to validate the remarkable zero-emission eConic, which is also fully-loaded with the latest Mercedes-Benz Trucks active safety technology.”
Both the eActros and the eConic share the same electric, twin-motor drivetrain, that pushes out a maximum 442hp (330kW). For battery capacity, the eConic offers three lithium-ion battery packs at a combined 336kWh, while the eActros offers a fourth battery pack totalling 448kWh.
It’s hoped the Mercedes-Benz eActros will be launched Down Under shortly after trials finish. The Actros is an immensely popular truck in Australia, and as EV and hydrogen technology demand increases, the eActros is sure to be a popular model.
At the same time, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has signaled its intention to expand its range of vehicles to include series-produced trucks with hydrogen-based fuel cell drives in the second half of this decade.
The first prototypes of the GenH2 truck – which is based on the conventional Actros long-haul truck in terms of payload, range and performance – are already undergoing rigorous testing in Europe – both on its in-house test track and on public roads.
Fitted with two special liquid hydrogen tanks with a combined capacity of 80 kilograms of hydrogen, and a particularly powerful fuel-cell system, the development goal is a range of up to 1,000 kilometres and more and a payload of 25 tonnes at a gross weight of 40 tonnes, making the truck suitable for heavy long-distance transport.
Location: Stand 44, Great Hall
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