The two Mercedes eActros 600 engaged in the European roadshow that started a bit more than one month ago in Frankfurt reached the Spanish city of Tarifa. This is indeed the southernmost checkpoint of the event, conceived to show that the electric trucks can travel throughout Europe charging only on public hubs.
The electric vehicles managed to face 32-day test drive through 18 countries so far. After their journey north through Germany, Denmark and Sweden, the two trucks reached the first major stage highlight in time for midsummer: the North Cape in Norway, Europe’s northernmost point accessible by road. From the end of June, the convoy, with a gross combination mass of 40 tons for each truck, traveled south through Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, France and Spain.
After the stop in Tarifa, the journey will head north again – through Portugal, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg back to Germany. The e-trucks are expected to return home at the end of July.
“The tour so far has shown us that battery-powered long-haul transport is already possible in Europe today. The two eActros 600 prototypes have proven to be extremely reliable companions – in demanding landscapes as well as in wind, rainy weather or outside temperatures above 30 degrees”, said Christof Weber, Head of Global Testing at Mercedes-Benz Trucks. “The range of 500 kilometers on one battery charge and the 40-ton gross combination mass specified by us have been proven to be realistic. Up to this point on the tour, we have only charged at public charging points. On the northern stage, we were almost always able to approach the charging station overlay with the complete semitrailer. However, as we continued on our route to the south, it became clear that we would have to unhitch the towing machine to access some of the charging station overlays.”
