With forty tons of possible boarding, the European manufacturer takes the advantage over Tesla.
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No offense to American billionaire Elon Musk, boss of the luxury car manufacturer, the world leader in heavy goods vehicles is European. German in this case. Daimler Truck is presenting this prototype at the commercial vehicle fair being held this week in Hanover. The model dubbed “eActros” has a range of around 500km on a single battery charge and is due to be ready for series production in two years, in 2024.
For the moment, it is only a prototype and full-scale tests, on the road, will take place next year. US e-commerce giant Amazon and German logistics group Rhenus will test the vehicle in real-world operation. Practical over long distances, but especially in urban and suburban areas, these electrified trucks have been developed to meet the same requirements as the diesel versions.
The electric truck from Daimler Truck – a branch of Mercedes Benz – is designed to meet the same criteria as a traditional truck. It should be able to travel 1.2 million kilometers over ten years of operation. The group has great hopes in the development of renewable energies. By 2030, CO2-neutral commercial vehicles should represent up to 60% of sales in some thirty European countries. American rival Tesla was banking on launching a 40-tonne model four years ago, but its plans have fallen behind and the German has regained the advantage.
Tesla’s founding boss, Elon Musk, promises that his electric truck will be well produced from this year… he would be able to travel 800 kilometers in full autonomy compared to 500 for Daimler Truck’s eActros. And it’s not over, because it’s the race for electric utility vehicles all over the world: the Japanese Toyota plans to launch an electric van in the coming months.