Automotive

Mercedes electrifies the heavy distribution truck

Mercedes electrifies the heavy distribution truck
The Urban eTruck is based on a heavy-duty, three-axle short-radius Mercedes-Benz distribution truck
The Urban eTruck is based on a heavy-duty, three-axle short-radius Mercedes-Benz distribution truck
View 16 Images
The Urban eTruck is based on a heavy-duty, three-axle short-radius Mercedes-Benz distribution truck
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The Urban eTruck is based on a heavy-duty, three-axle short-radius Mercedes-Benz distribution truck
A conventional drivetrain has been swapped out for an electrically driven rear axle with electric motors adjacent to the wheel hubs
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A conventional drivetrain has been swapped out for an electrically driven rear axle with electric motors adjacent to the wheel hubs
The electrically driven rear axle was derived from the Mercedes-Benz Citaro hybrid bus
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The electrically driven rear axle was derived from the Mercedes-Benz Citaro hybrid bus
The motors can kick out 125 kW (168 hp) each
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The motors can kick out 125 kW (168 hp) each
The motors have a peak torque of 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) each
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The motors have a peak torque of 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) each
Power is supplied by three lithium-ion battery modules with a total capacity of 212 kWh
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Power is supplied by three lithium-ion battery modules with a total capacity of 212 kWh
The Urban eTruck has a range of up to up to 200 km (124 mi)
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The Urban eTruck has a range of up to up to 200 km (124 mi)
Mercedes says the range is enough for a typical urban daily delivery tour
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Mercedes says the range is enough for a typical urban daily delivery tour
The eTruck was first presented in Stuttgart at the end of July 2016
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The eTruck was first presented in Stuttgart at the end of July 2016
The eTruck will debut publicly at the 2016 IAA International Motor Show for Commercial Vehicles
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The eTruck will debut publicly at the 2016 IAA International Motor Show for Commercial Vehicles
The plan is for the eTruck to be tested and developed in the coming years
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The plan is for the eTruck to be tested and developed in the coming years
Mercedes says the technology could receive a market launch at the start of the next decade
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Mercedes says the technology could receive a market launch at the start of the next decade
The eTruck weighs 26 tonnes (28.7 tons)
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The eTruck weighs 26 tonnes (28.7 tons)
The eTruck points to a future of zero emission, noise-free heavy operations deliveries
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The eTruck points to a future of zero emission, noise-free heavy operations deliveries
Charging is delivered by way of the 100-kW Europe-wide standardised Combined Charging System Type 2 connector
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Charging is delivered by way of the 100-kW Europe-wide standardised Combined Charging System Type 2 connector
A full charge can be delivered in two to three hours
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A full charge can be delivered in two to three hours
View gallery - 16 images

Not so long ago, the idea of a fully electric heavy truck simply wouldn't have been entertained. Today, however, Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the 26-tonne (28.7-ton) electrically powered Urban eTruck, which points to a future of zero emission, noise-free large truck deliveries.

Mercedes has already been putting light electric trucks through their paces since 2014, with its Fuso Canter E-Cell. Successful trials have been carried out in both Portugal and more recently, Germany, with the truck expected to be made available commercially under the name of the Fuso eCanter.

The automaker says, however, that until recently, the costs and ranges of the batteries required for heavy electric trucks made them unfeasible. That has since changed, though, and continues to do so. Indeed, according to Daimler Trucks (a sister company of Mercedes-Benz), the costs of batteries is likely to fall by 60 percent between 1997 and 2025 and power is expected to increase by around 250 percent over the same period.

The eTruck is based on a heavy-duty, three-axle short-radius Mercedes-Benz distribution truck, albeit with the conventional drivetrain swapped out for an electrically driven rear axle with electric motors adjacent to the wheel hubs. This setup is pulled over from the Mercedes-Benz Citaro hybrid bus.

Mercedes says the range is enough for a typical urban daily delivery tour
Mercedes says the range is enough for a typical urban daily delivery tour

The motors can kick out 125 kW (168 hp) each and have a peak torque of 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) each. Mercedes says that, when combined with the gearing of the vehicle, torque at the wheel hits 11,000 Nm (8,113 lb-ft). The power for all this is supplied by three lithium-ion battery modules with a total capacity of 212 kWh. These provide a range up up to up to 200 km (124 mi), which Mercedes says is enough for a typical urban daily delivery tour.

The battery unit is charged using the 100-kW Europe-wide standardized Combined Charging System Type 2 connector. A full charge can apparently be delivered in two to three hours.

The eTruck is being presented in Stuttgart today and will debut publicly at the 2016 IAA International Motor Show for Commercial Vehicles. The plan is for the concept to be tested and developed in the coming years, with Mercedes suggesting that the technology could receive a market launch at the start of the next decade.

Source: Daimler

View gallery - 16 images
4 comments
4 comments
gizmowiz
The days of the dirty filthy noisy smelly diesel trucks is numbered as are those of gasoline engines. Yippee.
shanti
Yay for electrification. Yet the invisibility cloak seems really, really unsafe.
Michael Wilson
I could see these working well in the city and the powertrain being adapted to such uses as City buses, garbage trucks and mail carriers. I think range will take longer, but at least for those who live in congested cities, there is an alternative
Lumen
This is good news. I ditto gizmowiz's sentiments.
Come on, buses.