EDEKA in Germany starts on-road test of the Mercedes-Benz eActros

4 MinutesBy NZ Trucking magazineOctober 24, 2018

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has delivered a fully electric eActros for on-road testing to EDEKA. The German retail association will be testing a 25-tonne truck with refrigerated body for one year in Berlin, where it will be used to transport fresh, temperature-sensitive foodstuffs. The daily route from the warehouse in Grünheide on the outskirts of Berlin to various EDEKA supermarket branches in the city centre and surrounding areas is between 150 and 300 km. The vehicle will operate in a double shift pattern, with loads up to 10 tonnes. During loading and unloading, the vehicle is charged to ensure that the total range of the eActros (up to 200 km with a single battery charge) is optimally utilised. EDEKA is the only company from the retail sector in Germany, which will use the eActros in its own fleet of vehicles.

The symbolic handover of the vehicle to EDEKA took place at the Gasometer in the Berlin-Schöneberg district. In addition to representatives from Mercedes-Benz Trucks, EDEKA and truck body manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull, Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, also took part in the event.

EDEKA is one of a group of 20 customers from various industries that are now integrating the heavy-duty electric truck into their fleets. Each of these selected customers will put a near-series version of either the 18 or 25-tonne variant through its paces in real operations and will test the respective vehicle for its suitability for their daily work. The aim of Mercedes-Benz Trucks is to make emission-free and quiet driving a reality in cities from the year 2021, also with series heavy-duty trucks – and all as economically viable as with a diesel truck. The test series consists of two phases, each with 10 customers and spanning a total of around two years. The development and testing of the heavy-duty electric truck in short-radius distribution operations is sponsored as part of the ‘Concept ELV²‘ project to varying degrees by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).

EDEKA is eagerly awaiting the results of the on-road testing, and Rolf Lange, head of corporate ommunications at EDEKA, said being involved with future technologies plays a key role for EDEKA as a driver of innovation in the retail sector.

“We are already committed to reducing emissions in many areas – particularly when it comes to logistics. This is where electric mobility comes in as it presents many opportunities but also poses several challenges. We look forward to gaining valuable experience with this on-road test in Berlin.”

The removable container on the eActros used by EDEKA is the ‘W.KO COOL‘ model supplied by Schmitz Cargobull. It has optimum insulation for energy-efficient transport of refrigerated goods. Cooled entirely by electricity, the cooling unit is totally emission-free and is specially designed for use in distribution transport.

The first eActros of the ‘innovation fleet‘ has been in service with a customer since September. The rest of the first phase of vehicle handovers will be completed by the end of the year. All test customers operate in short-radius distribution and use the eActros for tasks which would otherwise be carried out by conventional diesel vehicles. The goods carried range from food to building and industrial materials, and the bodies vary from refrigeration units to dry containers, silos or tarpaulin-covered units.

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