It is the same picture as the passenger car counterpart in Frankfurt: who these days at the commercial vehicle IAA in Hanover Daimler-Stand visited, is taken on a journey through time. On a trip to the future. Because here are not the vices of tomorrow, but the day after tomorrow. With an effort not seen in this industry before, the star-empire bus and truck companies have completed three visionary studies: Vision Van, Urban e-Truck and Future Bus.
No one knows exactly how far Mercedes is looking forward to the future with these three spectacular studies, all of which rely on pure electric drive technology. However, Wolfgang Bernhard, Daimler's board member responsible for the commercial vehicle division, is convinced that the turnaround in electric mobility has already begun and that it is developing "much more dynamically than we all think possible".
And boldly adds the 56-year-old that Daimler with the implementation of visionary ideas "completely reinvented the transport." For goods and persons. On highways and in cities. The Urban e-Truck is the first emission-free heavy truck to be the best answer to increasingly rigid access restrictions in congested cities. The so-called distribution traffic in the more urban area can be carried out with him whisper quiet and clean. And more. It is fully networked, and offers an all-round carefree package for transport and logistics companies from a single source, including intelligent coverage management.
This includes flexible and efficient route planning that incorporates congestion and even the weather, optimization of energy consumption, control of charging stations and complete charging management. "That guarantees highly efficient operation," explains Bernhard. In addition, Daimler intends to also offer stationary power storage systems in the future, which are already being produced from traction batteries of electric cars. "We need to turn ourselves from a pure manufacturer into a service provider," says the head of the Commercial Vehicle Division, setting the direction for the future.
Ambitious plans, but the Urban e-truck alone impressed technically. Responsible for the quiet appearance of the 25-ton colossus are two electric motors on the rear axle next to the hubs, which provide a total output of 250 kW / 340 PS and bring it in combination to a torque of 1.000 Nm. This guarantees full pulling power directly from the stand. After all, the three modular battery packs with a total output of 212 kWh are good for a range of 200 kilometers, which is usually sufficient for a day tour in distribution traffic. The charging time on a 100 kW column should be just over two hours, but such potent power sources are currently a rarity.
And even though the lithium-ion batteries together weigh almost 2,5 tons, the city truck will handle a payload of 12,8 tons, as is common in distribution. The typical 7,4 meter long refrigerated case for the fresh service use of supermarkets and retail stores with food can also be installed behind the cab.
While Wolfgang Bernhard considers the introduction of purely electric drives in heavy trucks on the long haul as "physically impossible", he gives the distribution truck a good chance. "The Urban e-truck would now require a surcharge in five-digit height compared to a diesel truck today," explains the commercial vehicle chief. However, the boisterous 25-Tonner at the beginning of the next decade at the earliest ready for mass production and until then, the battery prices were always cheaper. In addition, however, would come the much lower operating costs. Firstly, the power spend is about 40 percent below a comparable diesel consumption and secondly has an electric drive much less wear parts, which significantly reduces the maintenance and repair costs. Oil changes are no longer a problem.
At least as futuristic as it was designed by chief designer Gordon Wagener is the Vision Van, which, with its cloud-based control software, should also be integrated into an overall concept of a completely digitized supply chain. For example, the vehicle also communicates with the environment via a Black Panel designed as a "grille" and is intended above all to revolutionize delivery traffic "on the last mile". For example, there are no steering wheels or pedals in the cockpit, but there are two landing sites for drones on the roof, which are designed to bridge the last part of the delivery route from the car to the customer.
Rather than a milestone on the way to an autonomously driving bus is the Mercedes Future Bus, which has already proven in practice that with a city pilot on board at least partially automated driving in public transport is already technically possible. In any case, the driver did not have to press either gas or brake on the nearly 20 kilometers long route from the airport Amsterdam Schiphol to Harlem.
That Mercedes at the commercial vehicle IAA with the three future studies but not just a show far away from any reality, proves the announcement, even 2018 come with two fully electric vehicles on the market. So a bus powered exclusively by electricity is just as promised as a sprinter with electric drive. And already next year, the small series of a Fuso e-Canter is planned. The small truck of the Japanese subsidiary, a remnant of the once failed merger with Mitsubishi, depending on the desired range on individual battery packs with three to six battery packs à 14 kWh, with which customers can flexibly adjust their needs in terms of range, price and weight. He would be more expensive by a four-figure amount than a comparable diesel, but would save in operating costs but about 1.000 Euro on 10.000 kilometers and thus amortize after just three years. (Michael Lennartz)