Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 off the line

In Mercedes-Benz, News, Daimler4 MinutesBy NZ Trucking magazineNovember 29, 2024

Daimler Truck has celebrated the series launch of the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 for long-distance haulage at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth.

“With a range of 500km on a single battery charge, our eActros 600 is addressing the long-haul segment in Europe which is responsible for two-thirds of CO2 emissions from heavy road freight. Our battery-electric long-haul truck will therefore make a real difference,” said Karin Rådström, CEO of Daimler Truck.

Jürgen Distl, head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks operations, saidas the lead plant in the production network of Mercedes-Benz Trucks, the Wörth site plays a central role, particularly with regard to the integration of battery-electric models such as the eActros 600.

“However, we are tackling the transformation at all levels of our production network – including in the area of CO2-neutral production and our own supply chain: We are already being supplied by electric trucks today, and the complete electrification of delivery traffic into the Wörth plant is scheduled to take place by the end of 2026 – the eActros 600 will play a decisive role in this.”

“With the start of series production of the eActros 600, we are expanding our Wörth product portfolio with an important vehicle for the future.

Andreas Bachhofer, head of the Wörth site and production at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, said construction of the first battery-electric truck made in Wörth will be fully integrated into the existing assembly hall, flexibly alongside the manufacturing of combustion-engine trucks.

“This means that we are ideally positioned for the production of larger quantities. Our production team is well prepared for the successive ramp-up over the coming months.”

Flexible production of the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 in Wörth

The eActros 600 will be manufactured on the existing assembly line of the Wörth A-series production, in parallel with and flexibly alongside the trucks that will receive a diesel drive. The eActros 600 also receives all electrical components in this production hall. The entire system is commissioned at the end of the assembly line: From then on, the truck is ready to drive and lastly undergoes the finishing process and final inspection like all other trucks.

The eActros 600 is thus the first electric truck from Wörth where assembly takes place in one production hall. The conversion of the assembly lines as well as the integration of the eActros 600 into line production has taken place gradually. The previous eActros 300/400 and eEconic electric truck models leave the production hall for the assembly of the electric drive components in order to be electrified at the Future Truck Center in Wörth.

The Daimler Truck plants in Mannheim, Kassel and Gaggenau also play an important role in the production of the eActros 600. They supply the components required for the battery-electric drive, such as the electric axle, transmission components and the front box, which brings together numerous high-voltage and low-voltage components and is located in the former installation space of the internal combustion engine.