Daimler Truck continues to up the range of its electric semi trucks.
Its Mercedes-Benz eActros, currently available in 300 and 400 guises, will soon be joined by a 600 version, a prototype for which successfully completed a 330-mile haul across the Alps with a full load (gross weight of 80,000 pounds).
The 300 and 400 versions deliver around 205 and 250 miles of range, respectively. Tesla quotes a 500-mile range for its Semi with a gross weight of 81,000 pounds.
The eActros 600 makes its world debut on Oct. 10 and starts production in 2024, Daimler Truck said on Thursday.
For the trip, engineers started in Stuttgart, Germany, crossed Switzerland, and finally ended up in Bolzano, Italy. They then charged the truck and returned home, thus completing a 660-mile trip with only the one charging stop. Such a distance is comparable to the range of current diesel trucks.
Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 prototype
The prototype features three individual battery packs with a capacity of more than 600 kwh. The batteries have lithium-iron-phosphate cells, and can be charged at rates of up up to 400 kw using a CCS charger. Like the batteries in the Tesla Semi, the batteries in the eActros 600 also support megawatt charging.
Drive comes from two electric motors designed to deliver a continuous output of 536 hp and a temporary peak of 804 hp.
Daimler Truck said the eActros is designed to the same durability requirements of its diesel trucks, meaning owners can expect to cover 745,000 miles over 10 years without major issues.
The latest test comes just one week after an eActros prototype with a hydrogen fuel cell stack instead of a battery covered 650 miles with a single fill.
Mercedes-Benz is just one truck line at Daimler Truck. The company also controls the Freightliner, Western Star, Fuso, BharatBenz, and Rizon truck brands, as well as multiple bus brands.
