Description translation:
The Mercedes-Benz eActros 600, a prototype that, loaded with 40 tons, dared to undertake an electrifying journey from Stuttgart to Bolzano, not only exceeded altitude but also expectations Supplying batteries with fresh energy every now and then, once a goal has been achieved, does this automatically mean a turning point in long-distance transport? We have already summarized some technical details and data about the new Mercedes-Benz eActros for you today.
Three battery packs with a total capacity of 600 kWh, two electric motors with a continuous output of 400 kW, the peak output is stated as 600 kW and the range is up to 500 kilometers without intermediate charging. In addition to the tractor unit, there will also be a Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 platform chassis available immediately from market launch. The team needed around seven hours to cover the first 530 kilometers. So we're talking about an average speed of around 75 km/h and according to Adam Riese and Eva Zwerg we can assume a realistic average consumption of around 113 kWh / 100 km.
The consumption of a 40-tonne truck depends heavily on various factors such as the specific vehicle model, the topography of the route, the weather conditions, the load and the driving style. In general, however, average values can serve as a rough guide. A conventional 40-tonne truck consumes on average around 30 to 35 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers in long-distance transport. When driving through mountainous regions or with a lot of inclines, consumption can be correspondingly higher. Let's just assume 40 liters per 100 kilometers, because we drove into the mountains.
An interesting comparison: electric and diesel-powered heavy-duty transporters on the energy landscape. The calculation of the energy consumption of both forms of energy requires some recoding in order to make them comparable.
To look at the energy content of diesel: One liter of diesel contains around 9.8 kWh of thermal energy. With a consumption of 40 liters per 100 km, we multiply this value by the energy content per liter and for a diesel we get 392 kWh / 100 km.
If we compare the eActros with 113 kWh/100 km with the diesel-powered truck with 392 kWh/100 km, the electric truck seems at first glance to be much more energy efficient. However, direct comparisons are difficult because the efficiency of energy use varies greatly between electric and diesel vehicles. Electric motors can convert their energy into locomotion much more efficiently than combustion engines can. The efficiency of electric motors is usually around 85-90%, while diesel engines usually have efficiencies of 35-40%, most of which is lost through waste heat - but in the end it certainly has to pay off financially. How high are the investments, what is the charging infrastructure like, can the driver take his break where he can also charge? With charging power via CCS of up to 400 kW or megawatt charging, the technology promises short charging times and the drive also appears to be efficient.
The 1,000 kilometers that it covered with just one charge testify to the capabilities of the efficient drive, high battery capacity and powerful recuperation. An electric drive train efficiency was presented here that, with the combination of lithium iron phosphate cell technology and a total capacity of over 600 kWh, pushes the apparent limits of long-distance electric transport and we can already see Daimler trucks driving on the next ED 1000, certainly not the fastest , but those with only one charging stop! The new Mercedes-Benz eActros will be available on October 10th. celebrate its premiere, the Daimler engineers have been testing large-scale bonded Erlkönigs for months.
With a thoroughly impressive range, a clean, aerodynamic design and strong performance, it defies the critical gaze and seems to say: “The future is now, get in!” The use of electric trucks in long-distance transport sounds tempting and sustainable, but the investment and maintenance costs are currently still higher than those of conventional diesel vehicles. Will the eActros 600 be able to overcome not only the Alps but also the economic hurdles?
BTW, Martin Daum, CEO Daimler Trucks who said in 2018 "If Tesla really delivers on this promise, we’ll obviously buy two trucks — one to take apart and one to test because if that happens, something has passed us by,” Daum said. “But for now, the same laws of physics apply in Germany and in California,” and in 2019 “They’re fun, it’s an interesting market. We take every competitor seriously, Tesla has proved they really have the tenacity to really go through huge losses to capture the market. But trucking is a difficult business. They will learn the hard way, trucking is not like passenger cars where one size fits all. There’s a lot of variety in trucking…the United States is a highly competitive market, so as I said, they’re fun.” is no longer CEO of Daimler Trucks. Current DTNA CEO is John O'Leary.
