Soaring high: eActros as a semitrailer tractor crosses the Arlberg Pass

Test drive

Steep test drive.

Mercedes‑Benz Trucks engineers tested the driving performance of the eActros 300 semitrailer tractor in alpine conditions.


The eActros 300 semitrailer tractor variant has successfully crossed the Arlberg Pass in Austria as part of a series of tests. For this purpose, Mercedes‑Benz Trucks engineers loaded the semitrailer combination to 40 tonnes and sent it on a 111-kilometre trip via Bludenz, Stuben, St. Anton and Lech. In some places the vehicle reached an altitude of over 1,800 metres. The task: testing the performance and durability of the tractor and semitrailer in alpine conditions.



Focus on recuperation.

A particular focus was placed on energy recovery through recuperation, which can be used extensively, especially in the mountains. The energy obtained as part of recuperation in this way during braking is fed back into the batteries of the eActros and is again made available for use by the drive system. This enabled the electric semitrailer tractor to recover around 180 kWh of energy. At the end of the demanding trip, around 40% of the energy was still available. In total, the electric semitrailer combination mastered an altitude of 2,300 metres in the course of testing – the maximum incline was 13%.



In the past, the eActros for heavy-duty distribution transport, which has been rolling off the production line at the Wörth plant since October 2021, has already been put through its paces. For example, near-series e-trucks crossed the Alps in South Tyrol, climbing a total of 54,000 metres in altitude during testing. The trucks reached the highest point on the test drives on the Kaunertal Glacier at 2,750 metres above sea level. In Granada, Spain, the eActros passed summer tests at very high temperatures of up to 45°C, while at the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, Finland, it proved itself in snow and ice with frosty temperatures of up to -25°C.



For all conventional semitrailers.

The eActros 300 as a semitrailer tractor can tow all common European semitrailers, taking into account the maximum permissible total towing length. The electric semitrailer tractor is based on the same technology as the eActros 300/400 and is equipped with three battery packs. The technological centrepiece is the drive unit – a rigid electric axle with two integrated electric motors and a two-speed transmission. Both liquid-cooled motors generate a continuous output of 330 kW as well as a top performance of 400 kW.



As a side note: the batteries of the semitrailer tractor were charged exclusively at public charging stations on the way to the test area. The series launch of the eActros 300 semitrailer tractor is planned for the second half of 2023.



Photos & Video: Daimler Truck AG

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