Another battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros starts practical testing at Remondis in Cologne. The leading company for recycling and water management as well as municipal and industrial services is operating a 25-tonne truck with a range of around 200 kilometres in its waste management business as part of the so-called waste container service – the transportation of new, defective or repaired waste containers.
In doing so, the fully-electric eActros also drives along routes that are off-limits to conventional trucks. The batteries of the eActros are recharged overnight at the Remondis depot in the city’s Rodenkirchen district. Remondis is testing the eActros together with its sister logistics company Rhenus as part of a joint project for testing alternative drives.
Many findings from the first phase
One of the many findings gained during the practical tests in the first test phase is that the range of the eActros of approximately 200 kilometers has proven to be absolutely realistic – regardless of load, route or topography. The eActros is in no way inferior to a conventional truck in terms of availability and performance in urban traffic, on highways or on overland routes. The cooling system for the cargo and the air-conditioning system – both electrically operated – functioned without any limitations in both extreme heat and winter conditions. Drivers are very pleased with the continuous availability of torque across the entire speed range. They also particularly mentioned the truck’s quietness in operation and the pleasant, smooth driving experience. Furthermore, if the truck is driven with foresight, electrical energy can be recovered through recuperation, i.e., motor braking. It is then rarely necessary to use the brake pedal.
Swap body from Schmitz Cargobull
The W.BO swap body from Schmitz Cargobull for dry-goods transport is a smooth-wall box in steel construction with various equipment options such as double-decker system and roller door, and a keyhole system as standard equipment.
The eActros: locally CO2-neutral alternative for urban distribution transport
The eActros is based on the chassis of the Mercedes-Benz Actros. In addition, however, the vehicle’s architecture is completely geared to electric drive and has a high proportion of specific parts. Two electric motors close to the rear-axle wheel hubs provide drive with an output of 126 kW each and a maximum torque of 485 Nm each. This results in 11,000 Nm each after the transmission ratio, providing a performance equivalent to that of a conventional truck. Lithium-ion batteries with 240 kWh supply the energy for the eActros. Depending on the available charging power, the batteries can be fully charged within two hours (at 150 kW).
The development and testing of heavy-duty electric trucks in distribution transport is receiving support from Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) and Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), as part of the Concept ELV² project.
