Renault Trucks and Daimler Truck have provided updates on their latest electric vehicle developments for long-distance freight transport. Renault Trucks announced a 600-kilometre range version of its E-Tech T, with orders set to open in 2025. Daimler Truck began series production of the eActros 600 at its Wörth am Rhein plant, featuring a range of 500 kilometres per charge. Both vehicles are designed to meet the growing demand for sustainable transport solutions in the logistics sector.
Renault Trucks E-Tech T: 600 kilometres on a single charge
Renault Trucks has revealed plans to launch an extended-range version of its E-Tech T electric truck. Orders for the vehicle, which offers a range of 600 kilometres per charge, will commence in the second half of 2025. The increased range is made possible by the integration of an electric axle, allowing for additional battery packs to be installed without reducing cargo space.
Photo credits @ Renault Trucks
According to the company, this development is intended to support the transition to low-carbon logistics by providing customers with operational parity between electric and diesel trucks. Renault Trucks also offers advanced simulation tools to help hauliers customise vehicles to meet specific operational needs.
“The advent of this electric truck will boost the transition to electric mobility”, explained Emmanuel Duperray, Senior Vice President Electromobility at Renault Trucks. “We believe that a range of 600 km on a single charge, combined with the development of public charging infrastructure networks by 2026 – in particular through our joint venture Milence – will enable us to achieve the operational parity [with diesel technology] that our customers expect.”
The E-Tech T is designed to complement the existing range rather than replace it.
“We’re not looking to enter a race for autonomy on a single charge”, stressed Emmanuel Duperray. Oversized batteries penalise the payload, raise total operating costs and increase the environmental footprint. In essence, an electric truck is more expensive than a combustion vehicle. We need to rethink low-carbon logistics, in other words, reconsider transport patterns to optimise the use of transport vehicles and therefore reduce the cost per kilometre.”
Daimler Truck eActros 600: series production begins
Daimler Truck has started series production of its eActros 600 electric truck at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth am Rhein, Germany. The vehicle is designed for long-distance haulage, with a range of 500 kilometres per charge under standard conditions. The eActros 600’s high-capacity battery (over 600 kWh) and in-house-developed electric axle enable it to achieve daily distances exceeding 1,000 kilometres with intermediate charging.
Photo credits @ Daimler Truck
The production of the eActros 600 is integrated into the plant’s existing assembly line alongside diesel-powered trucks. The eActros 600 also receives all electrical components in this production hall. The entire system is commissioned at the end of the assembly line: From then on, the truck is ready to drive and lastly undergoes the finishing process and final inspection like all other trucks.
The eActros 600 is thus the first electric truck from Wörth where assembly takes place in one production hall. The conversion of the assembly lines as well as the integration of the eActros 600 into line production has taken place gradually. The previous eActros 300/400 and eEconic electric truck models leave the production hall for the assembly of the electric drive components in order to be electrified at the Future Truck Center in Wörth.
The Daimler Truck plants in Mannheim, Kassel and Gaggenau also play an important role in the production of the eActros 600. They supply the components required for the battery-electric drive, such as the electric axle, transmission components and the front box, which brings together numerous high-voltage and low-voltage components and is located in the former installation space of the internal combustion engine.
“We on the General Works Council will make sure that the agreements for the future are implemented in Wörth and at the other locations, even in times of cost savings and tight budgets. If we want to remain competitive, we need a high level of in-house production at the sites. Not only the shareholders, but also the employees must emerge from the transformation as winners,” says Michael Brecht, Chairman of the General Works Council of Daimler Truck.