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Teknikmobil.com – The Tesla Semi Truck built by Tesla seems to have a competitor, namely the Mercedes-Benz truck called the eActros which is a heavy-duty all-electric. Mercedes-Benz Trucks says it is an electric truck, the eActros, seen on the road with customers. Ten vehicles in two variants, with a gross vehicle weight of 18 or 25 metric tons. The plan is to hand it over to customers in the next few weeks. Of course they are the ones who will test their everyday economic feasibility and efficiency under real life conditions. A number of technical and business issues remain prominent, including the range and cost of batteries, but also the infrastructure required for their use as part of customers’ commercial fleets.
Source: autonomousvehicletech
[Also read: Basics of automotive electrical systems ]
Daimler AG board member responsible for Daimler Trucks and Buses. Martin Daum said that Daimler trucks are synonymous with innovation leadership, allied to a realistic and pragmatic attitude. Especially when it comes to electric mobility. The company wants to work closely with customers to move forward quickly with the development of the Mercedes-Benz eActros to the point where it becomes a viable proposition in difficult day-to-day operations – both technically and commercially.
The company started this process by creating an innovation fleet and will support its testing in the daily logistics environment of its customers. The company determined what still needs to be done, in terms of technical issues, infrastructure and service, to make our Mercedes-Benz eActros competitive.
Meanwhile the head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks stated that initially the company’s focus will be on goods transport and delivery services within the city – the range required here is within the scope of the Mercedes eActros.
Also Read: Tesla Semi Appears First on Highway; Posted via YouTube
Participating in the fleet test were ten customers from various sectors in Germany and Switzerland. The companies are Dachser, Edeka, Hermes, Kraftverkehr Nagel, Ludwig Meyer, pfenning logistics, TBS Rhein-Neckar, and Rigterink from Germany; and Camion Transport and Migros from Switzerland. These customers all distribute goods via the road network, but across different sectors and categories. The range of requirements means the vehicle is equipped with a variety of vehicle body shapes.
According to requirements, refrigerated box bodies, tankers, or tarpaulin sides are used. Drivers of eActros are trained to work with the vehicle. Pilot customers will test the vehicles in real-life operations for 12 months. After the truck will move on to a second round of customers over the next 12 months. Buchner said that this will make it possible to meet the many requests it gets from customers. Apart from that, it is also to gain more insight. The goal is to achieve series production and market maturity for a range of competitive electric trucks. Of course, it is economically competitive in heavy-duty transportation operations which will take effect from 2021.
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The foundation for eActros is provided by the Actros framework. Otherwise, the vehicle architecture is configured for an electric drive system, with a high proportion of specific components. The drive axles are based on the ZF AVE 130 used as the low-floor portal axle in hybrid and fuel cell buses from Mercedes-Benz and now revised for the eActros. The axle housing is completely redesigned and mounted in a significantly higher position, increasing ground clearance by more than 200 mm (7.9 inches).
The drive system consists of two electric motors located close to the rear wheel hub. These three-phase asynchronous motors are liquid cooled and operate with a nominal voltage of 400 V. They produce an output of 125 kW each, with a maximum torque of 485 N m each. The gear ratio converts these quantities to 11,000 N m respectively, resulting in driving performance equivalent to a diesel truck.
The maximum permitted axle load stands at a typical 11.5 metric tons. Energy for a range of up to 200 km (124 miles) is provided by two lithium-ion batteries with an output of 240 kW h. These have proven their worth in service with EvoBus GmbH.
Also Read: Mercedes-Benz vs Tesla; Four Wheel Technology Battle
The batteries are housed in eleven packs : three are in the frame area and the other eight can be found underneath. For safety reasons, the battery pack is protected by a housing made of steel. In the event of a collision, the buffer gives way and changes shape to divert energy through the battery without damaging it. High-voltage batteries not only supply energy to the drive system, but also to the vehicle as a whole.
Additional components such as the air compressor for the braking system, the power steering pump, the compressor for the cabin air conditioning system and, where relevant, the cooled body, are also electrically powered. Used batteries can be fully recharged in 3-11 hours, assuming a realistic charging capacity of 20-80 kW from mobile charging devices at fleet depots. The charging standard used is the Combined Charging System, CCS.
The on-board LV network consisting of two conventional 12-V batteries is charged from a high-voltage battery via a DC-DC converter. This ensures that all relevant vehicle functions such as lights, indicators, brakes, air suspension system and cab system remain operational if the high voltage network fails or is turned off. The high voltage network can only be activated if both LV (low voltage) batteries are charged.
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The development and testing of heavy-duty electric trucks in transport distribution is part of the “Concept ELV ²” project. This project is funded by various parties. Among them are the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUB) and the Federal Ministry of Economy and Energy (BMWi ) with around 10 million euros. Areas covered in the funding plan include investigating the complex challenges involved in developing, assembling and operating electric trucks. These include the use of high voltage (> 400 V), high current (up to 1000 A), battery technology (price, weight, durability, lifetime, charging time), range and energy requirements, charging infrastructure and logistics concepts, safety requirements, summer and winter viability, as well as questions about customer acceptance of the truck.[]