Electric trucks are coming, it is an undeniable fact. The technology is developing faster than a speeding ticket and it is inevitable that electric trucks will play some part in shaping the transport industry in this country.
Personally, I need to start understanding and appreciating this gigantic change in the future of our industry. In order to familiarise myself with the rapidly changing landscape that is EVs, I took up the offer to dip my toes in the electric pool with a trip down to Daimler’s Melbourne facility and get behind the wheel of the latest E-vehicle in the Daimler Truck Australia Mercedes range – the Mercedes eActros 300 prime mover.
If you were at the Brisbane Truck Show last year you would have seen the launch of Mercedes eActros 300 rigid vehicle. The platform has been tried and tested in Europe for quite a while but last year was the first time these state-of-the-art zero emissions vehicles made their way to our shores.
Now, in 2024 Daimler Truck (Daimler) has finally brought out the prime mover version of the eActros 300. It is essentially the same vehicle, just with a couple of major additions and the intention for it to be used in very job specific areas.
If you are interested and, more importantly, understand all the EV technology I can run you through a bit of it. As I admitted beforehand, I am a very fresh fish with this electric movement, so I piled on the questions. Starting with the batteries.
The eActros 300 series, be it the rigid or the new prime mover are equipped with three 112kWh lithium-ion battery packs. That’s a total of 336kWh. On the rigid version, Daimler advertise a 300km range.
For these new prime movers, testing so far by Daimler is saying they are designed for a 200km range. That may not sound like much, but for what these trucks are designed for it is perfect.
The idea of the eActros prime mover is to fit into the short-haul delivery market. Doing local supermarket drops, inner-city deliveries, applications like that where a quiet truck that isn’t blowing soot all over the scooter-riding locals is appreciated. Hence the 200km range is not a debilitating aspect at all.
There is no driveshaft in this thing at all. Instead, there is an eAxle with two integrated liquid-cooled motors and a two-speed transmission. The two-speed transmission is a tough thing to wrap your head around, but then so is the idea of the instant torque that an electric truck supplies.
The Daimler brochures will tell you the eActros has a peak performance of 536hp (400kW) and 443hp (330kw) continuous output.
Braking-wise, the EV has what they call a Recuperation Braking System. It’s a fancy word for an exhaust brake that also feeds electricity back into the batteries. Obviously, you are not going to get the deep throated tones of a classic Jake brake, but you are going to get a performance that’ll test out your seatbelt with Mercedes’ five stage recuperation braking.
One thing the eActros prime mover has that the rigid version doesn’t is the HPR system. The HPR (High Power Brake Resistor) system is a major milestone for the electric prime movers. Thankfully the wizards at Daimler dumbed it down for me in their explanation.
A lot of EVs’ power regeneration comes from downhill braking. A lot of that comes from whatever recuperation system they run. They turn that braking energy back into electricity and send it back into the vehicle’s batteries. Once the batteries are full though, there is nowhere for that energy to go.
A lot of EVs will then limit the use of the ‘engine braking’ system. Daimler’s HPR system means that any additional braking energy will be converted to heat and dissipated through the large resistors behind the cab. Meaning drivers will always have full use of the ‘engine braking’ system.
As you would expect from any Daimler product there is a massive emphasis placed on safety and the eActros prime mover comes equipped with every possible feature.
I was far too attentive to test it out, but had I been distracted and not spotted a sneaky Melbournite running out with their latte from a roadside café, the truck itself would pick it up via its front and left side radars or its front facing camera.
There are also all the other features you expect — stability control, lane assist, attention assist, roll control and even tyre pressure monitoring. I am sure there are plenty of other acronyms I’ve missed but the point is Daimler don’t just meet the minimum safety standards. They double down and set new benchmarks.
That’s about summed up the sales brochure for the eActros prime mover, now it is time to take a look at my experience with early morning Melbourne traffic and me behind the seat of my first electric truck.
I’m not going to worry about setting the scene with any descriptive writing, telling you about the early morning sunbeams wrapping around the silver circle and reflecting back off the superb three-point Mercedes Star.
Each glistening ray of light reflecting the electric energy housed under the elegant eActros façade. Nope, I’m not going to worry about that. The fact is it was a cold morning and the drive into Daimler Truck’s Laverton plant was stunted by horrendous Victorian traffic and the idea of getting back into it had me reaching for any excuse to stay in the warmth of the Daimler offices and get a hot drink in me.
I had the privilege of being one of the first to experience the eActros prime mover though, so I put down my cup of tea and followed my guide for the day, Romesh Rodrigo, out to the single drive prime mover.
For this particular test drive Daimler made sure not to sway the results with a mock load, or a simple tractor unit drive. They hooked the single drive prime mover up to a tri-axle trailer, with a 16.5-ton payload and pointed us in the direction of the West Gate Bridge.
Jumping into the eActros is a lot like every other Actros, you get the comfort and modern look you expect from the Daimler showpiece. Turning the truck on and hearing nothing, that was different. There’s no rumble, no shudder and no sound. It is only the multitude of lights and gauges that makes you aware the truck is good to go.
Electric handbrake off, I planted my foot with a bit of trepidation – if I am honest. My previous electric vehicle experience was limited to one of those atrocious electric pallet jacks that bolted away as soon as I twisted the handle, so I approached the eActros with a predetermined angst. I shouldn’t have though. You may not get that engine feel when you plant your foot, but you do get an extremely smooth response.
As we headed out the yard and along the road it was almost surreal in the quietness. Holding a conversation with Romesh was like we were in an isolated and insulated office.
Hitting the first Laverton industrial roundabout, the benefits of the instant torque associated with electric vehicles was amazing. There were not many gaps to get into the roundabout and the eActros just got moving like a lure at a greyhound track.
Pulling up the West Gate Bridge at 35 tonnes was interesting. The eActros didn’t feel like it was struggling, but never felt like I had to restrain it either. It was almost that Goldilocks situation where it was just right. Seeing as the eActros rigid is the same platform, just without the extra weight, I imagine that would need a little more restraint.
Whilst I didn’t get a whole day of experience, the couple of hours behind the wheel gave me a greater appreciation for the eActros electric range. They are a vehicle designed for a specific market, the LMD arena (last mile delivery) and they do it very well.
Those that get the privilege of driving them are going to finish their days still feeling refreshed and comfortable. They are perfect for the market they are designed for and will do a great job of satisfying the demand for zero-emission standards.
The idea of having trucks in and around densely populated areas that are quiet, efficient and economical, well that’s going to keep operators, Joe Public and drivers very happy and the eActros prime mover will be right there at the forefront.
With Thanks to Owner Driver