eActros bags prestigious 2023 Truck Innovation Award

The Mercedes-Benz eActros LongHaul has won the 2023 Truck Innovation Award at the IAA Transportation 2022 exhibition and conference in Hanover, Germany. 

An ‘International Truck of the Year’ jury made up of 25 commercial vehicle journalists from European and international media organisations awarded the eActros the crown due to its innovative lithium-iron phosphate cell (LFP) battery technology, e-axle (an electric axle with two motors that provides continuous output of 330kW and maximum output of 400kW) and the speed of its development (one year from concept to presentation). 

The heavy battery-electric eActros LongHaul was unveiled as a concept prototype in the run-up to the IAA and is expected to deliver a range of around 500 kilometres on a single battery charge. 

Advanced testing underway 

Testing on public roads in Europe is already underway, while series production is planned for 2024. Further testing will take place in 2023 in the form of a partnership between global eCommerce brand Amazon, German logistics firm Rhenus and Mercedes-Benz. 

Amazon and Rhenus will test the eActros as part of the High Performance Charging for Long Haul Trucking (HoLa) project. HoLa aims to develop a high-performance charging infrastructure for battery-powered long-distance transport. 

Andreas Marschner, Vice President of Amazon Transportation Services, said that fast charging is a key aspect of making long haul electric transportation work. 

“Amazon has pledged to become carbon neutral across the company by 2040, ie, net zero. Transport is a core element on this journey. Due to today’s range constraints of batteries, recharging is a key challenge that we need to tackle. Building high power charging solutions is a promising approach and we are excited to test it with our partners.” 

Rapid charging 

One major aim of the project is to ensure battery electric vehicle can be charged at high power within 45 minutes. 

"As with all our e-trucks, we will rely on early practical tests with customers for our eActros LongHaul,” said Michael Scheib, Head of Product Management at Mercedes-Benz Trucks. 

“By doing so, our engineers will be able to incorporate valuable knowledge gained from real-world operations – especially with regard to high-performance charging – directly into the development of the series-production vehicle. We are very pleased with the planned partnerships with Amazon and Rhenus.”