Daimler is electrifying its heavy-duty trucks for real-time testing
Frankfurt am Main — German vehicle maker Daimler said on Wednesday that it would deliver battery-powered trucks to selected clients for road testing and announced major new investments in electrifying its heavy-duty line. Ten Mercedes-Benz electric eActros trucks from the Stuttgart-based group — the world’s largest manufacturer in the sector — will hit the road in the coming weeks, weighing in at either 18 or 25 tonnes. Customers "will be testing their everyday feasibility and economic efficiency under real-life conditions," Daimler said in a statement. While the new vehicles have a range of just 200km and take between three and 11 hours to charge, that would be enough for delivering packages or restocking supermarkets, the company said. It hopes to put the trucks into full-scale production by 2021. Meanwhile, Daimler plans to invest about €1.3bn a year in research and development in its world-beating haulage vehicles division in 2018 and 2019. About €500m of the total will flow int...
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