Mercedes-Benz eActros 2024 Review

The race for domination of the electric truck market is well and truly on and the latest entrant is the Mercedes-Benz eActros. The German manufacturer is not the first to market with an electric truck, but its offering has been worth waiting for.

In true ’Benz style, the eActros is a slick package. All bases are covered, with the eActros presenting as a purpose-built electric truck that can comfortably slide into any fleet and go to work.

We got up close and personal with the eActros and even had a stripped-down cab/chassis and engineers on hand to explain the workings of the new truck.

The trucks we had on test were eActros 300s. The 300 refers to the size of the battery packs, which is nominally 300kWh but is actually a pack of three batteries with a total of 336kWh.

Like the Fuso eCanter, the eActros features thermally controlled battery packs to avoid overheating and to enable the batteries to operate at the most efficient temperature.

Truck batteries can get hot when discharging a lot of energy, such as when climbing up a hill or a tall bridge, or also when they’re being charged. They can also be affected by particularly cold or hot weather.

The liquid-cooling within the eActros battery packs helps them maintain a temperature of 20 to 25 degrees, which is the window in which they are most effective.

Drive is through an eAxle which incorporates the electric motor, two-speed transmission and half-shafts to the rear wheels. Output is quoted as 536hp (400kW) peak performance with 443hp (330kW) of continuous power.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks says the range is officially 300 kilometres, “although range may vary depending on the geography of the area, driving method, outside temperature, load and body, among other factors” said our press release. However, in local testing with a loaded truck, 300km has been achieved with 20 per cent of battery capacity left, so the range seems to be conservative.

Our trucks were in 4x2 rigid configuration although we were told that 6x2 rigids and prime movers are on the way. Our rigid trucks were loaded to 15.2 tonnes with six tonnes on the front axle and a payload of 5.2 tonnes.

The interior of the eActros is not dissimilar to a regular diesel Actros. It features the Mercedes-Benz Multimedia Cockpit with two 10-inch screens.

The gauges are different from the diesel version, with a speedo on the left and a big dial monitoring your energy usage on the right. See the needle over on the right-hand side of the gauge and you’re using energy, keep it on the left-hand side and you’re actually making power with regenerative braking.

The regen braking acts like an engine brake, slowing the vehicle while at the same time making electricity and sending it back to the batteries.

In an interesting aside, one of the engineering team told me that if you could have the perfect undulating terrain with uphills equal to the downhills, the eActros could actually make more electricity through regen braking on the descents, than the truck uses on the ascents.

As with all the Mercedes-Benz trucks, the eActros is equipped with a full suite of active and passive safety features including Active Brake Assist 5, which is a radar- and camera-based emergency braking system. Also standard is Side Guard Assist, a warning system that detects cars, cyclists and pedestrians at the side of the truck when making a left turn.

Other features include stability control, lane keeping, Attention Assist, Roll Control Assist and tyre pressure monitoring. There is also an Accoustic Vehicle Alert System, which is a warning system that sounds when the vehicle is travelling at low speeds in order to make other road users aware of the vehicle. It seems weird that we’re now trying to make trucks louder, but that’s the world we’re living in…

Of course, there are all the regular passive systems like airbags and ABS. It all adds up to the eActros being one of the most well-equipped trucks on the road in terms of safety features.

Driving a large electric truck is a totally different experience from driving a regular diesel truck. Firstly, it is quiet. Mercedes-Benz Trucks says the eActros has a 10dB noise reduction which is an approximate halving of the perceptible in-cabin volume from what is already a quiet truck.

We also had the second-generation MirrorCam system so that even on the freeway, you don’t get the wind noise from the mirrors because all the eActros has is a couple of little stalks poking out the side on which the cameras are mounted. So with that combined with a fairly aerodynamic truck, there’s very little wind noise.

Next is the instant torque. Whereas a diesel truck will make its maximum torque at say, 1500rpm or so, the electric truck has its maximum torque from the moment you push the accelerator. Once you get used to it, this makes the electric truck easier to drive as you’re not having to stay in the ‘sweet spot’ all the time to maximise torque.

Finally, there is the regenerative braking. As mentioned, this acts like a Jake brake or a retarder as it brakes the truck, only it can be better. In the case of the eActros, there is a five-stage regen braking system that the driver controls.

Once this is mastered, the truck can virtually be driven on one pedal – the accelerator – with the regen doing the majority of the braking. This not only recoups significant amounts of electricity but also saves on the service brakes.

It was stressed to us at the media day that it does take a bit of driver training to get the best out of the electric trucks, but once you get used to them, they are a very easy and stress-free truck to drive.

Although I have driven quite a few electric trucks in the past, I had no trouble adapting to the eActros. Even at over 15 tonnes, it felt quite spritely. It was quick to take off from the lights, changes up into second gear almost imperceptibly and gets up to its limited top speed of 90km/h without any bother.

We were told that you can order an eActros now. Delivery is pretty good as well and you get delivery in the second half of the year.

Pricing is, of course, one of the stumbling blocks with electric trucks and especially the larger ones as they need larger batteries that are expensive. Expect to pay around two to two-and-a-half times what you’d pay for a diesel equivalent.

After a full day of driving in a wide range of conditions from city to semi-rural and a bit of freeway running, I came away convinced that this is a truck of the future.

The eActros can handle a load with no trouble (in fact it can handle more than it’s rated for here but is hamstrung by our front-axle weights), it can zip around the city or out around the ’burbs. It can even do a bit of rural delivery if needed. Charging from 20 per cent to 80 per cent of charge takes just over an hour so theoretically it can do a delivery, get a charge while the driver is having lunch, and then return to base.

It is a truck that is a pleasure to dive. It’s quiet and comfortable and has great manners on the road. With its full complement of safety features, it will tick all the boxes for CoR or WHS and with its zero emissions it’ll meet all your sustainability requirements to boot.

With the 6x4 and the prime mover coming, as well as the eActros 600 with its longer range, it looks like Mercedes-Benz Trucks has a building presence in the electric truck landscape.

Specifications:
Mercedes-Benz eActros 300
GVM: 16 tonnes
Batteries: Three lithium-ion battery packs with 336kWh capacity
Drive system: eAxle with two liquid-cooled motors and two-speed transmission
Output: 536hp (peak) 443hp (continuous)
Configuration: 4x2
Cab: M ClassicSpace
Charging time: From 20 per cent to 80 per cent 1hr 15mins (150kW charger)
Range: 300km