Mercedes-Benz Trucks, in partnership with Netze BW (a subsidiary of EnBW), opened an interesting eTruck Charging Park to demonstrate charging concepts from different manufacturers in day-to-day operation.
The station is located in Wörth, Germany, where the company produces the all-electric eActros trucks and eEconic trucks.
The project is focused on consulting customers on charging infrastructure. The station is equipped with a total of six charging stalls, with chargers from different manufacturers. The output currently varies between 40 kW and 300 kW, but is expected to be upgraded at a later point with the upcoming Megawatt Charging System (MCS).
The eTruck Charging Park is equipped also with a photovoltaic system (installed on the roof) and a battery energy storage system. Because of that, customers will be able to see and test charging processes, and equipment from various suppliers and can work with on-site experts from Mercedes-Benz Trucks to develop tailor-made charging solutions for their respective applications.
“By providing different charging options in one place, customers have the opportunity to compare them directly. At the same time, the eTruck Charging Park also tackles important issues such as grid connection, local energy generation, energy storage, and intelligent management of charging processes. For example, it will be possible to illustrate how charging processes can be integrated into existing logistics processes and thereby reduce energy costs.”
Test drives of the Mercedes-Benz eActros 300/400 are also available to get an immediate and comprehensive impression of the efficiency, range, and charging capabilities of electric trucks.
Overall, it seems to be a pretty good approach to familiarize potential customers with electric trucks and their specific. If this can help convince fleets to switch to EVs, we might see other manufacturers also building similar stations. Actually, some of them already have charging stations at their facilities.
12 Photos
Right now, Mercedes-Benz Trucks produces two electric models – eActros and eEconic – but that’s only the starting point, as the eActros LongHaul semi is on track for 2024. It’s expected to offer 500 km (over 300 miles of range).
