Mercedes-Benz Unveils Urban eTruck
Daimler has unveiled an electric truck capable of transporting up to 25 tonnes, putting zero-emission vehicles on a par with conventional-engine variants in terms of payload and performance.
Daimler said on Wednesday electric trucks could be production ready from the start of the next decade, thanks to major advances in battery technology.
Between 1997 and 2025, battery costs are likely to fall by 60 percent, Daimler said. At the same time, the energy density of batteries, and hence their power, will increase by around 250 percent.
The Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck has an electrically powered rear axle with electric motors directly adjacent to the wheel hubs. A modular lithium-ion battery pack with a total capacity of 212 kilowatt hours provides an operating range of up to 200 kilometres, Daimler said.
The Urban eTruck’s reveal comes a week after Tesla CEO Elon Musk outlined a new “master plan” for his Silicon Valley company that includes eventual production of a semi-truck, surprising investors who believed the company was squarely focused on consumer vehicles and energy products.
