Mercedes-Benz eEconic being tested in the Arctic Circle. Serial production is getting closer

Mercedes-Benz eEconic battery-electric truck has been put to road test in the Arctic Circle. The e-truck intended for municipal use will see the start of serial production in the second half of this year, as outlined by Daimler Truck within a strategy that brought to production the eActros in Autumn, last year. So, the eEconic is the second step of a transition that is expected to increase the share of electric vehicles sold as for trucks in the Mercedes-Benz portfolio. Also, in terms of vehicle architecture, the eEconic benefits from Daimler Truck’s global platform strategy, as the low-floor truck is based on the eActros platform.

The eEconic tested in Finland

At icy temperatures down to -25°C, development engineers from Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks tested the e-truck intended for municipal use in Rovaniemi, Finland. Engineers tested the behavior of the batteries and the electric powertrain and associated systems at very low temperatures, among other things. The vehicle’s batteries were charged at various charging stations in order to check compatibility between the vehicle and charging stations.

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Customer trials are foreseen by 2023, while serial production is expected to start by 2027. Daimler Truck has the ambition to offer only new vehicles that are carbon-neutral in driving operation ('tank-to-wheel') in Europe, Japan and North America by 2039.

During testing, developers also tested the practicality of the eEconic with the near-production-level test vehicle using simulated waste collection routes. Vehicles must function reliably even in adverse weather conditions and fulfill their tasks, especially in municipal use. Testing in Finland has shown that the e-truck meets these requirements, with low noise and locally carbon neutral. The eEconic is now ready for the next step: practical testing with customers.