Mercedes-Benz has been launching a lot of new products recently.  Shortly after the launch of the Actros L, Mercedes-Benz today officially unveiled its first mass-production pure electric heavy-duty truck: the EACtros.  The launch of the product means that Mercedes has been running the Actros electrification plan for many years to come to frustum, officially from the testing phase to the production phase.

At the 2016 Hannover Motor Show, Mercedes showed off a concept version of the Eactros.  Then, in 2018, Mercedes produced several prototypes, formed the “EACTROS Innovative Vehicle Team” and tested electric trucks with corporate partners in Germany and other countries.  The development of Eactros is focused on working with customers.  Compared to the prototype, the current production Eactros model offers better range, drive capability, safety, and ergonomic performance, with significant improvements in all metrics.

A production version of the EACTROS truck

Eactros retains many elements from Actros.  For example, front mesh shape, cab design and so on.  From the outside, the vehicle is more like Actros’ mid-mesh shape combined with AROCS ‘headlights and bumper shape.  In addition, the vehicle uses Actros interior components, and also has the MirrorCam electronic rearview mirror system.  Currently, Eactros is available in 4X2 and 6X2 axle configurations, and more options will be available in the future.

The vehicle interior continues the new Actros’ smart two-screen interior.  The theme and style of the dashboard and sub-screens have been changed to make them more suitable for use by electric trucks.  At the same time, the vehicle has added an emergency stop button beside the electronic handbrake, which can cut off the power supply of the whole car when taking the button in an emergency.

The built-in charging indicator system located on the sub-screen can display the current charging pile information and charging power, and estimate the battery full time.

The core of the EACTROS drive system is an electric drive platform architecture called EPOWERTRAIN by Mercedes-Benz, which is built for the global market and has a highly applicable technical specification.  The vehicle’s drive axle, known as the EAxle, features two electric motors and a two-gear gearbox for high-speed and low-speed travel.  The motor is located in the center of the drive axle and the continuous output power reaches 330 kW, while the peak output power reaches 400 kW.  The combination of an integrated two-speed gearbox ensures strong acceleration while delivering impressive ride comfort and driving dynamics.  It’s easier to drive and less stressful than a traditional diesel-powered truck.  The low noise and low vibration characteristics of the motor greatly improve the comfort of the driving room.  According to the measurement, the noise inside the cab can be reduced by about 10 decibels.

EACTROS battery assembly with multiple battery packs fixed to the sides of the girder.

Depending on the version of the vehicle ordered, the vehicle will be fitted with three or four sets of batteries, each with a capacity of 105 kWh and a total capacity of 315 and 420 kWh.  With a 420 kilowatt-hour battery pack, the Eactros truck can have a range of 400 kilometers when the vehicle is fully loaded and the temperature is 20 degrees Celsius.

The model number logo on the side of the door has been changed accordingly, from the original GVW+ horsepower mode to the maximum range.  400 means the maximum range of the vehicle is 400 kilometers.

Large batteries and powerful motors bring many advantages.  For example, the ability to regenerate energy.  Each time the brake is applied, the motor recovers its kinetic energy efficiently, converting it back into electricity and charging it back to the battery.  At the same time, Mercedes offers five different kinetic energy recovery modes to choose from, to adapt to different vehicle weights and road conditions.  Kinetic energy recovery can also be used as an auxiliary braking measure to help control vehicle speed in long downhill conditions.

The increase of electronic parts and accessories on electric trucks has a negative impact on the reliability of the vehicles.  How to quickly repair the equipment when it is out of order has become a new problem for engineers.  Mercedes-Benz has solved this problem by placing important components such as transformers, DC/DC converters, water pumps, low-voltage batteries, and heat exchangers as far forward as possible.  When repairs are needed, just open the front mask and lift the cab like a traditional diesel truck, and the maintenance can be done easily, avoiding the trouble of removing the top.

How to solve the charging problem?  EACTROS uses a standard CCS joint charging system interface and can be charged up to 160 kilowatts.  To charge the EACTROS, the charging station must have a CCS Combo-2 charging gun and must support DC charging.  In order to avoid the impact on the vehicle caused by the complete exhaustion of power, the vehicle has designed two groups of 12V low-voltage batteries, which are arranged in the front of the vehicle. In ordinary times, the priority is to obtain power from the high-voltage power battery for charging.  When the high-voltage power battery runs out of power, the low-voltage battery will keep the brakes, suspension, lights and controls running properly.

The side skirt of the battery pack is made of special aluminum alloy and is specially designed to absorb most of the energy when the side is hit.  At the same time, the battery pack itself is also a complete passive safety design, which can ensure the maximum safety of the vehicle in case of impact.

EACTROS is not behind The Times when it comes to security systems.  The Sideguard Assist S1R system is standard for monitoring obstacles on the side of the vehicle to avoid collisions, while the ABA5 active braking system is also standard.  In addition to these features that are already available on the new Actros, there is the AVAS acoustic alarm system that is unique to the EActros.  As the electric truck is too quiet, the system will play an active sound outside the vehicle to alert passers-by to the vehicle and the potential danger.

To help more companies make a smooth transition to electric trucks, Mercedes-Benz has launched the Esulting digital solution system, which includes infrastructure construction, route planning, financing assistance, policy support and more digital solutions.  Mercedes-Benz also has in-depth cooperation with Siemens, ENGIE, EVBOX, Ningde Times and other electric power giants to provide solutions from the source.

Eactros will begin production in the fall of 2021 at the Mercedes-Benz Wrth am Rhein truck plant, the company’s largest and most advanced truck plant.  In recent months, the plant has also been upgraded and trained for mass production of EACTROS.  The first batch of Eactros will be available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and later in other markets as appropriate.  At the same time, Mercedes-Benz is also working closely with OEMs such as Ningde Times to prioritize the new technology for EACTROS.