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Finally Daimler Truck AG have launched their long distance tractor unit offering to the world. I will happily say i love the look of it and that is a good start. It may be a facelift and redesign around the current cab, but when the cab interior works so well how would you actually improve it. This truck is capable of 500Kn / 310 miles on a single charge, which makes it much more of a viable option for some long distance work. There is a lot of information about the truck in the press release, so i have given you what i think are the parts of the seven page release, that you will actually want to read. This will put Daimler out there with the good looking Volvo option, although we will have to wait until early 2025 for RHD options here in the UK I am told. If you would like to read the full complete press release then please click the link HERE.
The eActros 600 heavy-duty electric truck is planned to define the new standard in terms of technology, sustainability, design and profitability
The high battery capacity of more than 600 kilowatt hours – hence the model designation 600 – and a new, particularly efficient electric drive axle developed in-house, enable the e-truck to achieve a range of 500 kilometers1 without intermediate charging. Therefore, the eActros 600 will be able to travel significantly more than 1,000 kilometers per day. This is made possible by intermediate charging during the legally prescribed driver breaks – even without megawatt-charging. Around 60 percent of long-distance journeys of Mercedes-Benz Trucks customers in Europe are shorter than 500 kilometers anyway, which means charging infrastructure at the depot and at the loading and unloading points is sufficient in such cases. For all other uses, continual expansion of public charging infrastructure is vital in order to make the electric truck viable for long-distance haulage across Europe. In addition to CCS charging with up to 400 kW, the eActros 600 will later also enable megawatt charging (MCS). From the start of sales, customers can order a pre-installation for this. As soon as MCS technology becomes available and is standardized across manufacturers, it is planned to be retrofittable for these models of the eActros 600. The batteries can be charged from 20 to 80 percent in about 30 minutes3 at a suitable charging station with an output of around one megawatt.
The vehicle is technically designed for a gross combination weight of up to 44 tons. With a standard semitrailer, the eActros 600 has a payload of around 22 tons in the EU. In some cases, national law may permit a higher payload. Visually, the e-truck is characterized by a fundamentally new, puristic design with clear lines and an aerodynamic shape. When it comes to profitability for fleet operators, the electric truck is intended to set new standards, over the long term replacing the majority of diesel trucks in the important long-haul transport segment. The core of Mercedes-Benz Trucks‘ concept for battery-electric long-distance transport is to offer customers a holistic solution consisting of vehicle technology, consulting, charging infrastructure and services.
Sales of the electric truck start this year. The start of series production is planned for the end of 2024. In addition to the tractor unit, Mercedes-Benz Trucks will also produce rigid variants of the eActros 600 right from market launch, offering customers further possible applications for all-electric transport. A fleet of around fifty prototype vehicles is currently being built, some of which are also to be put into practical testing with first customers in a next step.
Karin Rådström, CEO Mercedes-Benz Trucks: “The eActros 600 stands for the transformation of road freight transport towards CO2-neutrality like no other truck with a three-pointed star. It is characterized by highly innovative drive technology that can offer our customers particularly high energy efficiency and thus profitability. This makes entry into e-mobility even more attractive for fleet operators.”
Electricity price and toll system decisive for profitability compared to diesel trucks
The time period within which fleet operators can achieve cost parity with a comparable diesel truck using the eActros 600 in long-distance haulage differs from country to country, in particular depending on the electricity and diesel price and toll system. In the large transit countries of France and Germany, for example, a low electricity price and the planned CO2-based truck toll, respectively, have a positive effect on the operational costs of battery-electric trucks. This means that the eActros 600 can be more profitable than a diesel long-haul truck within the average vehicle holding period of around five years or after around 600,000 kilometers – despite a purchase price that is around two to two and a half times higher than the diesel equivalent. Government subsidization of e-trucks and charging infrastructure is a key lever providing support in ramping up the market. More than 80 percent CO2 savings possible compared to diesel trucks over the entire life cycle.
The eActros 600 has three battery packs, each with 207 kWh5. These offer an installed total capacity of 621 kWh. The batteries are based on lithium iron phosphate cell technology (LFP) and are characterized by a long service life. The development engineers at Mercedes-Benz Trucks have designed the eActros 600 to meet the same requirements on the durability of the vehicle and components as a comparable conventional heavy-duty long-haul Actros. That means up to 1.2 million kilometers in ten years of operation. After this period of use, the battery state of health should still be over 80 percent. Moreover, in contrast to other battery cell technologies, approximately 95 percent of the installed capacity can be used with LFP technology. This makes a higher range with the same installed battery capacity possible.
Innovative drive technology – Predictive Powertrain Control in the eActros 600
Mercedes-Benz Trucks has developed a new 800-volt electric axle with two electric motors and a four-speed transmission specifically for use in heavy-duty long-haul transport. The electric motors generate a continuous output of 400 kW as well as a peak output of 600 kW and ensure powerful acceleration, high driving comfort and high driving dynamics. The full motor output is available most of the time with almost no interruption in torque.
In addition, with an anticipatory driving style, electrical energy can be recovered through recuperation, which is fed back into the batteries of the eActros 600 and is then available again for the drive system. Recuperation puts less strain on the brakes of the eActros 600, which is a positive side effect. Depending on the situation, the driver can choose between five different recuperation levels. One-pedal driving can also be optionally enabled on the touchscreen in the digital cockpit – i.e. deceleration by means of recuperation with reduced actuation of the mechanical brake.
The eActros 600 features the tried-and-tested Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC) cruise and transmission control, which is specially tuned to the electric drive system. The anticipatory drivetrain control automatically takes into account the topography, course of the road and traffic signs for the most efficient style of driving. Route information from the navigation system is now included to facilitate better recognition of the situation on the road ahead. This allows the driver to avoid unnecessary braking, accelerating and shifting and to exploit the battery energy as efficiently as possible.
The new design language of the driver’s cab of the eActros 600 is characterized by particularly efficient aerodynamics. This is achieved with the large, completely closed and rounded-off front hood, an optimized bumper, including underbody paneling, an aerodynamically improved driver access and extended end flaps designed like sails. Air deflectors on the A-pillars, an additional spoiler on the roof and a sealed motor compartment complement the aerodynamic improvements to the cab. Over and above this, the cab is equipped with aluminum step plates, a new headlamp concept with matrix LED headlamps and an LED light strip. Mercedes-Benz Trucks markets the cab under the “ProCabin” name.
Specifically with battery electric trucks in long-haul operation, improved aerodynamics are of decisive importance as air resistance is one of the main factors influencing energy consumption. In addition, reduced air resistance means that more energy can be recovered through recuperation, leading to a longer range.
Extending the front by 80 millimeters made it possible to achieve the particularly aerodynamic shape of the new cab. This streamlined shape was developed in a multitude of in-house air-flow simulations as well as wind tunnel and on-the-road measurements. This enabled the ProCabin’s cW value to be lowered by nine percent6 in comparison to the Actros cab currently in series production. This aerodynamic improvement reduces the vehicle’s energy consumption and makes a decisive contribution to the range of 500 kilometers1 achieved by the eActros 600.
The eActros 600 is very quiet on the road for the benefit of the driver and its environment. To ensure that, for example, vulnerable road users such as pedestrians or cyclists can still notice the electric truck in their surroundings, it is equipped with an external Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) in accordance with legal requirements. Depending on the driving conditions, sounds are played for forward or reverse travel. In addition, the sound varies depending on the vehicle speed and accelerator pedal position, so that good acoustic perception is possible in urban traffic. The futuristic sound spectrum of the AVAS in the eActros 600 is designed to take into account the appearance of a heavy vehicle and to contribute to better recognizability in urban traffic. With the eActros 600, Mercedes-Benz Trucks is advancing its vision of accident-free driving. As was the case in previous years with the manufacturer’s vehicles, the installed safety assistance systems go beyond the legal requirements in many areas. This also applies to the General Safety Regulation adopted by the EU Commission. From mid-2024, the regulation prescribes the addition of systems as standard equipment for all new vehicles. The safety concept of the eActros 600 is based on the further development of tried-and-tested safety assistance systems. The basis for this is a completely new electronics platform which involves what is known as sensor fusion to merge radar and camera data for an even larger view to the front and side. For this purpose, the electronics platform offers 20 times higher data processing. The total of six installed sensors – 4 short range radars and one long-range radar – as well as the multifunction camera in the windshield cover an angle of 270 degrees around the vehicle.
The eActros 600 will be produced on the existing assembly line at the largest truck assembly plant of Mercedes-Benz Trucks in Wörth am Rhein – in parallel to and flexibly alongside the trucks that will continue to be equipped with a diesel drive. In Wörth, it will also be equipped with the electric drive components from the Mercedes-Benz plants in Mannheim, Gaggenau and Kassel. Like the Wörth site, the three locations are also undergoing a transformation from diesel technology to competence centers for emission-free transport. Installation in Wörth takes place in several production steps, including the installation of the electric axle, the high-voltage batteries and the front box, which is a complex technology module with several control units, high-voltage components and an electric air compressor. Once all high-voltage components have been installed, the entire system goes into operation and the truck is ready to drive.
Trailers shouldn’t be ignored, you know I enjoy looking at old trailers as much as old trucks. Is that just my perversion going to far, or are you lot the same?? I had a pleasant Saturday morning out, wandering around loads of old commercials, so I will be writing various blogs about the, no doubt, about time I gave you some material!
Here we go then, kicking things off is this lovely Danzas, drawbar trailer. It was in relatively good condition compared to others. Having had a good nose about it seemed a little unique. I couldn’t think of many UK based Danzas drawbars, in fact I couldn’t think of any. The trailer was built by DAF which made me think this is likely to be from a haulier who subbed for Danzas or worked from the Netherlands. Moving to the rear of the trailer, it had some extra mud flaps, the sign of a driver who liked his trailer, so perhaps an owner driver. Despite the trailer being built by DAF the rear lights and London Boroughs permit suggests this was a UK operated trailer, well at least at the end of its life.
Amazingly I posted these photos on my Facebook page yesterday (Saturday) to see if anyone had any ideas on who’s it was or if anyone knew anything about it. The blog is a good place to ask questions and get answers from all of your extensive knowledge, but I was surprised to get quite such a response just a couple of hours after posting the pics. On Facebook I had a reply from Michael Edwards, also sending the below photo, amazing! Michael said “This is Dave Princes wagon and drag from Avonmouth. I think Chris Amos was the driver.”
You can’t deny that it certainly looks like the right trailer and as I said, there can’t have been many Danzas drawbars in the UK. Thanks for the info Michael, if anyone wants to add anything else please leave a comment below. More of my findings to come later on and also more trailer talk, or trailer detective work!
….and not just on Faceache and Insta! I’ve had some inspirational guidance today, so I’ve been rekindling all the blog logins and links on the WWW site and I should now be back to being able to share my trucking ramblings with you all again…… Hello?!
In the last few months I have been updating Facey and the ‘Gram but now with the new options on WordPress (the blog software site) I can now get back to sharing on the WWW and it should share to both FB and IG. Some of the viewing figures on said social media platforms have been crazy, with some posts reaching well over half a million viewers! Now if only I knew how to make money out of the blog, I could start doing it for a real job. Is it only folk on the YouTube that get rich?!…… answers on a postcard……
Back again…. To much going on to blog at the mo, so please bear with me. If I could I’d be doing this as the full time job, you know that.
Plus side for you lot is that we have a new roving reporter living and trucking from Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. When life in Suffolk, England gets to non-plus and you and the family want I new challenge, then the wonder of being a mother trucker, means you can apply your skill set pretty well anywhere in the world. So in this case, the destination of choice was Canada. A few months waiting for permits and visas and then off they went, off to a new life in mid-Canada just north of the US border
Not everyone’s cup of tea I’m sure, but driving a fuel tanker has lots of benefits, not to mention the danger money! The Super B tankers operated by the Canadian Co-Op Foundation can carry 62,500 litres of diesel or 71,000 gas/ethanol. The two trailer combinations are about 120 foot from the front of the tractor to the rear of the trailer combination called a super B. The job entails delivering fuel to mostly all commercial delivery points, along with a few farms. For now he will be based in Regina xn the relatively local areas (by local you can still clock up 1100km in a days work), until further exams are passed and then the trips will get longer, opening up the whole of western Canada up to Alaska.
For now a day cab Mack Anthem is the daily steed, with the hope of a bigger sleeper as and when the longer trips become the norm. To be fair the sleeper on these trucks are huge compared to the previous European sleepers, so I’m sure he will cope when the time comes. This is just a taster and hopefully it will become a regular update rather than a one or two off!! Thanks AS and family.
Scania has launched its Sauna-Series cab, which has been specially designed to help drivers reduce their stress and improve their wellbeing on the road.
Available only on the S-Series vehicles, this edition includes a cab size sauna perfect for relaxing and taking the stress away.
Research carried out by Scania’s renowned Fiktiva department found that if a driver used the sauna for 45 minutes a day, they would sweat their problems away.
Vera Havinnuon, Head of Påhittad Technology at Scania AF, said: “We’ve been foolish not to focus on improving driver wellbeing. Some spend most of their week in the cab, so we’ve brought them some home comforts to improve their time on the road.
“After years of research and development, this was the most logical answer. The Sauna- Series is easy to use, perfect in all conditions, simple to maintain, and best of all, has a host of health benefits. All-in-all the project was no sweat for us.”
Research and testing showed that drivers who used the sauna were more productive than their other counterparts, with drivers claiming they could drive for an additional 4.5 hours a day – ‘no sweat’.
Each Sauna-Series truck comes equipped with an infrared heat cabin, designed to use minimal energy to heat up and doesn’t require extraction fans to remove steam. It means you can enjoy the sauna while watching TV, reading a book, doing admin or while having a nap.
To complement the Sauna-Series, Scania has produced a set of matching accessories to help you complete your look. Including a luxury, handcrafted set of towels and matching bathmat, which has been designed to absorb as much moisture as possible.
The first 250 people to register their interest in the Scania Sauna-Series will receive a luxury bathmat for free. It usually retails at £2,304.01.
Register your interest here: https://I www.scania.com/uk/en/home/products/trucks/sauna- series.html 😂
The long winter months are drawing on and I’m missing the truck show fraternity and the reminiscent fun we have at the various shows we get to. It’s an opportunity for us all to get together with other like minded folk who also enjoy the trucks that we fondly look back on from the golden years and also the modern day trucks that are comfier, safer and more eco friendly than their car equivalents. Its our favourite time of the year, suns out, tyres stay black and trucks stay clean, we even keep the breweries happy!
So what are your plans? I have no doubt there will be a couple of mini convoys, well I hope so anyway. I’m guessing there maybe a new show or two on the calendar if I can get along to them. I’d love to get to the Devin Truck show at some point, but that’ll likely be next year, I may do the Truckfest Southeast if it falls on the right weekend, of course I’ll do the Retro Truck Show and a maybe a couple more local shows, then fingers crossed I might just get the Gr814 along to the Truckstar Festival in Holland, although I might need to borrow someone’s fuel card! I also hope to do a few more jobs to the Gr814 before all this. I’d like to change the rear axle for a better gear ratio. I’d like to get the chassis shot blasted and repainted in factory gloss black. Finally if the budget allows, I’d love to get the cab painted too but I don’t think that’ll be this year because of both time and cash.
The other thing I’m looking forward to is catching up with and making new friends and acquaintances. Something about the trucking lot, that means there is never a lot of ice to be broken if any. We meet up with new people and we start talking, chatting or helping, this is where the romance of the roads originates. How often have you met a fellow driver, shared a table for dinner and a beer and then gone your separate ways and then met up again at a random delivery or overnight stop a year or so later. Well that’s much the same as the men’s bad women of the short circuit. We all know each other and we all get along but we may not see each other from one year to the next, but you just pick up where we left off. You also get to rub shoulders with the big boys, those who some expect to be different for some reason, but they are all drivers and truck nuts at heart. The generosity of people such as Richard Payne, Mark Farrow, Charles Russell, John Thomas, Fred Parker and a few others, almost knows no bounds. Always happy to help, always willing to get involved, totally approachable and won’t see anyone struggle, go short or miss out if they can help it. Proper old school bosses the lot of them! It seems that all of this is in the blood whether you’re driver or guv’nor we are all there for the craic, the beer and of course the trucks. Bring on the 2023 season and please, say hello.
Throughout the last century, more than 1.3 million trucks have hauled goods across the United States and Canada roadways with the Kenworth badge on the grill. In 2023, Kenworth begins a year-long celebration, commemorating its 100th anniversary and contributions to the transportation industry.
Kenworth Founders Harry W. Kent (top) and Edgar K. Worthington
That first year, the small Seattle truck manufacturer produced 78 gasoline-powered trucks. Since then, Kenworth has produced more than a million Class 5 to Class 8 models, and super heavy duty trucks, like the C500 6×6 with its gross combination weight rating of 1 million pounds. Kenworth is also now producing medium and heavy duty battery electric vehicles.
“Kenworth’s storied history over the past 100 years provides much to be proud about. From being the first U.S. truck manufacturer to offer a diesel engine as standard equipment in 1933 to selling Kenworth trucks with an electric powertrain today, it’s been quite a journey,” said Kevin Baney, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president.
“We’re also especially proud of our leadership in truck aerodynamics with the Kenworth T600 introduction in 1985. That model began the revolution in fuel-efficient trucks and its evolution has tremendously advanced in the new flagship T680 that sets industry standard today in truck aerodynamics,” said Baney.
Kenworth’s success and staying power in a competitive business can be traced back to a philosophy established early in the firm’s history. The goal was to build the right Kenworth truck for each customer’s application to get the job done and build that truck to last. That philosophy, which continues to be true to this day, resulted in Kenworth establishing a solid reputation for its quality, innovative and durable trucks driven by state-of-the-art technology.
“Kenworth has remained true to its core values since its founding,” said Baney. “We’ve achieved many amazing accomplishments in our first 100 years. But there’s more work to be done at Kenworth as we drive the next 100 years and continue our mission of producing The World’s Best trucks.”
Kenworth Truck Company, founded in 1923, is the manufacturer of The World’s Best® heavy and medium duty trucks. Throughout 2023, Kenworth is celebrating its historic 100th anniversary. To learn more about the 100th anniversary celebration visit www.Kenworth100.com. Kenworth is “Driving the Next 100 Years.” Kenworth’s Internet home page is at http://www.kenworth.com. Kenworth is a PACCAR company
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