An oft-cited obstacle to the electrification of municipal vehicle fleets is that electric versions of specialty vehicles such as refuse trucks and fire trucks are not available. Now Daimler Truck has taken a step toward filling this niche with the launch of the Mercedes-Benz eEconic, a new e-truck designed for municipal use.

The key technical specifications of the eEconic are largely identical to those of the eActros urban delivery truck, which went into series production last October.

The eEconic has been undergoing real-world trials with customers since May, and it will soon go into series production at the company’s Wörth site in southern Germany. The first unit will be handed over to Urbaser A/S, a waste disposal company in Denmark, and other customer deliveries are to follow over the course of the year.

The eEconic will be manufactured on the existing Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks assembly line, alongside legacy ICE trucks. After the vehicle has been largely assembled, the eEconic’s electrification continues in the Future Truck Center, where it is equipped with the electric drive components.

“With the eEconic, we are putting the first electrically powered and series-produced Mercedes-Benz Special Truck on the road,” said Dr. Ralf Forcher, Head of Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks. “The exchange with our customers has shown: cities and municipalities want CO₂-neutral vehicles for their fleets. Especially with regard to large cities, there is a need for quiet, clean and safe logistics and waste disposal solutions. And we offer just the right truck for this.”

“In the fall of 2021, we were giving the go-ahead for series production of our electric trucks here at the Wörth plant with the eActros, and now we’re following up with the eEconic,” said Dr. Andreas Bachhofer, Head of Production and Plant Manager at the Wörth plant. “This is made possible by our flexible production and our highly motivated team at the site, which has integrated the eEconic into line production in a very short time.”

Source: Daimler Truck