Hannover, Germany — Daimler Trucks kicked off the IAA international Commercial Vehicle Show by focusing on the future of the urban city, with the unveiling of its Urban eTruck.
It also highlighted and expanded upon its recent unveiling of concept vehicles, the semi-autonomous Mercedes-Benz Future Bus with CityPilot, and the Vision Van, an electrically powered, automated and connected van designed to change last-mile delivery services.
Welcoming a press audience of some 600 journalists from around the world, Wolfgang Bernhard, head of Daimler Truck and Bus, explained the symbolism of the power plant where the event was held, because “in the next era, electricity and transportation will meet.”
In addition to showing off its concept vehicles, Daimler officials announced they would be building commercially available fully electric Mercedes-Benz vans and the first all-electric city bus by 2018.
While it’s unlikely any of these vehicles will be seen in the U.S., especially in exactly this form, some of the technological advancements being tested out may well make their way to our shores
And the urban challenges they are designed to address are global. By 2050, cities will be home to 70% of the world’s population, he noted. By that time, the additional amount of milk alone needed in cities around the world will require 50,000 additional truck deliveries every day. Made with conventional trucks, that could lead to problems with emissions, noise, congestion and infrastructure.
The Urban eTruck is driven by electric motors adjacent to the wheel hubs, while the power supply comes from a modular battery pack that can be charged in no more than two hours with the right equipment. This puts the Urban eTruck on a par with conventionally engined trucks when it comes to payload and suitability for everyday use, says Daimler. But at the same time, it is far more environmentally friendly, generates zero local emissions and makes barely any noise.
Urban eTruck can be configured for a wide range of different requirements. It comes standard with a basic lithium-ion battery pack of three modules with a total capacity of 212 kWh. This provides a range of up to 200 km, which is normally enough for a day's delivery round. The batteries are additionally charged during operation by regenerative braking, i.e. by converting the braking energy into electricity.
Daimler says standard-production vehicles of this type would be conceivable from the start of the next decade.
