Mercedes-Benz Trucks has announced it will begin a local evaluation program for its battery electric eActros in Australia and New Zealand starting in early 2023.
The company says that initially, four eActros trucks will get to work in Australia, with one unit set to hit the road in New Zealand, with additional trucks to follow. The eActros, which has just been launched in Europe, produces zero local emissions and operates near silently.
T&B News recently drove the e Actros in Europe, but due to an agreed embargo we cannot bring our driving impressions to you until mid September.
Its is fair to say that Daimler Truck has extensive experience with electric commercial vehicles and was the first manufacturer with an all-electric truck in Australia, when the Fuso eCanter broke was launched here in 2021.
Daimler says that customers on both sides of the Tasman have embraced the eCanter, appreciating the smooth and quiet operation, active safety features, ease of use and original equipment manufacturer backing.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks Australia Pacific director, Andrew Assimo, said he is excited to start the local evaluation program for eActros as part of a drive towards CO2-neutral goods transport.
“We are excited to conduct this extensive testing program on the roads of Australia and New Zealand for the advanced and innovative all-electric eActros, a truck that represents an exciting new chapter for sustainable road transport in our region,” Assume said.
“Mercedes-Benz Trucks always makes sure the advanced technology we introduce locally is tailored for our unique conditions and meets the specific requirements of our customers with extensive local evaluation and it is no different with zero emission electric technology,” he added.
Daimler Truck says it is committed to advancing battery electric technology for trucks and buses, but is also working on hydrogen fuel cell technology that it believes and many pundits believe, is well suited to Australian requirements of longer distances at higher weights.
While hydrogen fuel cell trucks are currently being tested they are still some years away from introduction with experts pointing toward the end of the decade andante the early 2030s. the company emphasised that its battery electric Mercedes-Benz trucks are already in production and out on the road with leading European fleets.
The focus of the eActros is for heavy-duty short radius distribution and development trucks have been working away in select fleets in Europe since 2018.
Andrew Assimo said Mercedes-Benz Trucks is excited to fulfil customer demand and bring the all-electric eActros to Australia and New Zealand.
“Our key customers are very passionate about advanced electric heavy vehicles and we are thrilled to begin the evaluation program that will ensure our electric Actros will succeed in our market,” he said.
“We are excited to help our customers along their emission reduction pathways with class-leading Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) trucks that are genuine workhorses and carry out their work in near silence producing zero local emissions,” Assimo concluded.
While Mercedes-Benz Trucks says it is keen to move forward with battery electric technology, it added that it is also proud to help traditional internal combustion engine customers drive down their emissions.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks points out that it led the way in Australia with the first full range of Euro 6 heavy duty trucks with the new Actros in 2016 and added that the truck’s strong fuel efficiency is renowned across the industry. the company says that further improvements to the Mercedes-Benz diesel Actros engines will also soon be here
At this stage, Mercedes-Benz Trucks said it is not ready to announce when the eActros will be made available to customers in Australia and New Zealand
