A series of tests in South Tyrol: just what exactly can the eActros do?
Vehicle & Technology
Extreme gradients, massive temperature differences: two eActros trucks in the Alps.
For avid truck fan Christian Oesterle, the Brenner Pass is symbolic of wanderlust – so it goes without saying the trained engineer also sees it as the ideal terrain for putting the performance of the eActros to the test.
On the Brenner motorway, Oesterle and his team experienced a mixture
of amazement and pride. “Driving over the Alps with the first
battery-driven Mercedes‑Benz trucks was a truly amazing experience,”
says Oesterle, who is responsible for thermal management software and
functional development for the eActros at Daimler Trucks.
There was a good reason why the trip from the Wörth factory went over
the Alps. Two close-to-series-production versions of the
battery-driven truck were put through a series of tough tests in the
Bolzano region of South Tyrol.
Ideal test conditions.
The team led by the 35-year-old trials engineer tested the two trucks for their performance and durability – and all the time, the eActros was towing the maximum load so that the GVW totalled 27 tonnes.
“South Tyrol with its steep ascents and descents provides the optimum topography for our tests,” says Oesterle who, together with his colleagues, was able to call on the full drive output of the two electric trucks. Downhill, the team tested the handling with maximum recuperation.
The region also provided ideal conditions for driving at very high temperatures – occasionally on trips around the city, the thermometer went above 40 degrees Celsius.
In the course of the test period, the two electric trucks covered a total of 54,000 metres of altitude. The highest point which the vehicles reached on their test drives was the Kaunertaler glacier at a height of 2750 metres. “It has to be said that the eActros mastered these conditions with ease,” says Oesterle happily.
Lars Hoffmann (left) and Florian Rosenstengel (right) from the test team take a break.
On the journey from Germany through Austria to Italy, the batteries of the two three-axle heavy-duty distribution haulage trucks were charged exclusively at public charging stations. “In Austria and in South Tyrol too, we discovered a highly developed charging infrastructure,” says Oesterle. The charging breaks were also a good opportunity to get talking to other travellers with electric vehicles. “Most of them were surprised to encounter a truck at a charging station.”
“South Tyrol with its steep ascents and descents provides the optimum topography for our tests.”
– Christian Oesterle, test engineer at Daimler
Trucks
On the homeward journey, the test team then produced a genuine masterpiece on the asphalt: “Taking less than ten hours to get from Bolzano to the Black Forest, that’s a real haulage achievement.” That’s not the only reason that Oesterle is convinced: “I have every faith in the eActros. It’s our truck for a new era.”
Series production.
At the Mercedes‑Benz Wörth site, series production of the eActros – the first fully electric truck from Mercedes‑Benz – started in October this year.
Photos: Daimler
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7 comments
Ein toller Artikel und schöne Fotos!!!
👍👍👍👍👍👍⛟😎🍺
Ein toller Artikel und schöne Fotos!!!
👍👍👍👍👍👍⛟😎🍺