Mercedes-Benz just got serious about beating Tesla to the punch with an electric truck
Mercedes-Benz just got serious about electric trucks.
The Daimler subsidiary unveiled its all-electric truck at IAA, an international motor show in Hannover, Germany that runs until September 29. The truck, dubbed the Urban eTruck, runs on three lithium-ion batteries that provide 124 miles of range - considering the truck is meant for urban environments, not highway driving, that range isn't bad by any means.
But Carscoops reports that the eTruck has a modular design so you can add an extra battery packs to slightly bump that 124-mile limit.
The Urban eTruck has been going through testing in Stuttgart, Germany since April, according to Mercedes. The truck has been used in different topographical environments to see how it can fare running just on battery power. The results of that trial are expected to come at the start of 2017.
The truck comes with some extra tech features, also. It has a 12.3-inch display that shows how much battery is left and navigation information, Carscoops reported. It also comes with three driving modes: one to help regulate energy consumption, another to provide maximum power in hilly areas, and an eco mode that reduces the amount of torque. All in, the Urban eTruck delivers 737 lb-ft of torque.
There's no word yet on when we can expect the truck to hit the roads. But it does show Daimler is edging ahead of Tesla, which has yet to release its full plan to tackle an all-electric semi truck. Tesla CEO Elon Musk only mentioned it briefly in his "Master Plan, Part Deux."
"We believe the Tesla Semi will deliver a substantial reduction in the cost of cargo transport, while increasing safety and making it really fun to operate," Musk wrote in the plan.