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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Mercedes-Benz unveils first electric heavy-duty truck

Daimler Trucks presented the Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck on Wednesday in Stuttgart, Germany.

The Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck was introduced on Wednesday in Stuttgart, Germany.
According to a press release provided by Daimler, the Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck enables full electric transport for the first time with a weight of 29 U.S. tons.

“Electric drive systems previously only saw extremely limited use in trucks,” Daimler’s Wolfgang Bernhard said in the release. “Costs, performance and charging times developed so rapidly that now there is a trend reversal in the distribution sector. The time is ripe for the electric truck.

“In light distribution trucks, our Fuso Canter E-Cell has already been undergoing intensive customer trials since 2014. And with the Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck, we are now electrifying the heavy distribution segment up to (29 U.S. tons). We intend to establish electric driving as systematically as autonomous and connected driving.”

Daimler claims the electronic semi will be able to take part in urban distribution operations with zero local emissions and little noise. It will have a range of only 124 miles, so it is being touted more for city use than long hauls.

The market launch of the technology is expected at the beginning of the next decade.