Daimler Trucks has launched the Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck as the first fully electric truck with an admissible total weight up to 26 tonnes, suggesting heavy trucks in the future will take part in urban distribution operations with zero local emissions and hardly a whisper.

The development of electric trucks and series production maturity are key aspects of Daimler’s strategy to build on its technological leadership, with a considerable part of future investments being made in research and development in this regard.

“With the Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck, we are now electrifying the heavy distribution segment up to 26 tonnes. We intend to establish electric driving as systematically as autonomous and connected driving,” says Dr Wolfgang Bernhard, responsible for Daimler Trucks and Buses.

In light distribution trucks, Daimler’s Fuso Canter E-Cell has already been undergoing intensive customer trials since 2014.

The Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck is based on a heavy-duty, three-axle short-radius Mercedes-Benz distribution truck. In addition, the entire conventional drivetrain is being replaced by a new electrically driven rear axle with electric motors directly adjacent to the wheel hubs – derived from the electric rear axle which was developed for the Mercedes-Benz Citaro hybrid bus. The power is supplied by a battery pack consisting of three lithium-ion battery modules. This results in a range of up to 200 km – enough for a typical daily delivery tour. Thanks to the integrated concept with motors adjacent to the wheel hubs, the batteries are housed in a crash-proof location inside the frame.