Daimler Truck AG has put its battery-electric long-haul truck eActros 600 through rigorous testing in an extensive winter test. The "European Testing Tour Winter 2025" took two near-series prototypes over 6,500 kilometers through ten Northern European countries. The aim was to analyze the vehicle's practicality under winter conditions and to gain insights into energy consumption. A large part of the route was the same as the one from the Summer Tour 2024, enabling direct comparisons between seasons.
Tour Results: Energy Efficiency in Focus
According to Daimler Truck, the eActros 600 proved to be efficient even under extreme weather conditions.
"Not only are we interested in how the energy consumption of the eActros 600 behaves in different winter deployments, but our customers and drivers are too. We are very satisfied with the insights from the tour," explained Christof Weber, Head of Global Testing Mercedes-Benz Trucks.
The tour took the vehicles from Germany through Denmark, Sweden, and Finland to the Arctic Circle. Then it continued through the Baltic States, Poland, Czech Republic, and Austria back to Germany. The average temperatures ranged from -18 to 9 degrees Celsius.
Factors Affecting Energy Consumption
Particularly aerodynamics and rolling resistance affected the energy consumption of the electric trucks.
"In general, aerodynamics and rolling resistance have a significant impact on the consumption of a truck—regardless of the type of drive," explained Jochen Gottstein, Manager Testing Energy Consumption & Range at Daimler Truck.
In winter, the higher air density leads to increased air resistance and thus to higher fuel consumption. Winter tires with a stronger tread amplify this effect.
A test on a snow-free road at -2 degrees Celsius showed that fuel consumption with tires of efficiency class B was about 25 percent higher than with summer tires of class A. On snow and ice, the additional consumption increased to nearly 50 percent, particularly due to the higher rolling resistance of tires designed for extreme winter conditions.
Driving comfort is maintained
According to Daimler Truck, drivers of the eActros 600 do not have to forego comfort even in winter. The engineers set the temperature to 21 degrees Celsius during the day and 19 degrees at night. This only led to a range reduction of two to five percent, explained Werner Kempfle, development engineer and co-project manager of the eActros 600. The energy consumption for the cabin heating remains generally low.
Challenge of charging infrastructure
The vehicles were charged exclusively at public charging stations during the tour.
“Even though it remains challenging to find charging options specifically designed for trucks, we found some very modern charging parks in Scandinavia where we did not have to uncouple our trailers, and there was sufficient charging power and good infrastructure for driving time breaks,” said Gottstein.
Nevertheless, according to Daimler Truck, a comprehensive charging infrastructure for heavy e-trucks remains a rarity.
New App Facilitates the Charging Process
Daimler Truck introduced another innovation with the app “Mercedes-Benz Trucks Remote 3.0”. It allows drivers to monitor the charge status of their vehicle in real-time and receive push notifications.
“The app has proven to be extremely helpful, especially when charging,” emphasized Kempfle.
The drivers did not have to constantly stay with the vehicle and could immediately respond to charging interruptions.
Conclusion: Efficient Even in Winter
With the winter tour, Daimler Truck claimed to demonstrate that the eActros 600 is a practical long-distance alternative even at low temperatures. Challenges remain with the charging infrastructure, while energy consumption fluctuates as expected due to weather conditions. Overall, the manufacturer sees the electric truck as a reliable and efficient solution regardless of the season.
