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Mercedes Targets Electric Heavy Trucks
Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz unit is developing an all-electric heavy-duty truck for city applications and plans to launch it early next decade.
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Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz unit is developing an all-electric heavy-duty truck for city applications and plans to launch it early next decade.
The company unveiled a prototype of the vehicle, dubbed the Urban eTruck, today in Stuttgart, Germany. It attributes the impetus for electric trucks to “significant” improvements in costs, performance and charging times as well as stringent emissions standards, greater congestion and concerns of noise pollution.
Based on a heavy-duty, three-axle short-radius Mercedes-Benz distribution truck, the Urban eTruck has a total weight capacity of as much as 26 tonnes (28.7 tons). The vehicle is equipped with three lithium-ion batteries and a pair of electric motors borrowed from the Mercedes Citaro hybrid bus that power the rear axle. The truck’s driving range is estimated at 120 miles, which Daimler notes is enough to handle typical daily delivery routes.
Daimler has been testing electric versions of its 6-tonne (6.7-ton) Fuso Canter medium-duty truck for several years. The latest round of field evaluations of five vehicles began in April with parcel service provider Hermes.
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