Capital Equipment News December 2016

Mercedes-Benz’s Urban eTruck concept is a fully- electric heavy-duty distribution truck, which could roll onto the market as early as 2020.

TRUCKS OF THE FUTURE New products and trends always take centre stage at major capital equipment exhibitions. At this year’s IAA Commercial Vehicles show, megatrends of the future – digitisation, e-mobility, autonomy, alternative propulsion, sustainability and the road to an emissions-free future – were key themes, supported by an array of concept vehicles presented as the future of on- highway trucking by several big truck makers. By Munesu Shoko

base and their expectations from future trucks,” says Sven Ennerst, head of project engineering for the Urban eTruck concept. “They want a vehicle that offers zero emissions and that is what we are proposing. The price tag will be higher than a conventional truck, but we are working on reducing that, plus the lower operating costs will help counter the extra initial costs.” Mercedes-Benz says its Urban eTruck uses the possibilities opened up by connectivity to create a seamlessly interconnected system that incorporates range and load management, vehicle information and peripheral data. “The modular construction of the batteries is the first step to perfecting the interaction between the drive control and power supply management to maximise performance and range in short-radius distribution,” says Bernhard. The additions of Predictive Charge Management, proactive Predictive Powertrain Control cruise control and FleetBoard for urban distribution make the Urban eTruck suitable for everyday use. Mercedes-Benz says its innovative FleetBoard telematics service for urban

A t the 2014 edition of IAA Commercial Vehicles, new products making their way into the market took centre stage, and one of the key themes on several stands was the brand new Euro 6 trucks. But, in 2016 there was a complete shift with concepts rather than new truck launches stealing the limelight. Concepts from several big truck makers gave a glimpse of the future of on-highway trucking. The main trends behind these developments range from connectivity, automation, through to electric drive and alternative fuels. For Mercedes-Benz, the focus was on

what the truck giant terms “megatrends of the future” – digitalisation and e-mobility. While its breakdown-free truck might have seemed a long way off at the beginning of the year, Mercedes-Benz Trucks raised the bar even higher with its Urban eTruck, the world’s first fully-electric heavy-duty distribution truck, which could roll onto the market as early as 2020. It is said to be a ground breaking truck where connectivity meets e-mobility. “We are pioneering e-mobility, connectivity and autonomous driving,” says Wolfgang Bernhard, head of Mercedes-Benz Truck and Bus. “The starting point was our customer

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