Daimler strong and set for electric

The world’s largest heavy vehicle maker Daimler AG is reporting strong growth as it gears up with its electric fleet.

The German company, owner of brands such as Fuso, Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz, has achieved NZ$60.3 billion in revenue in its truck division for 2017, up from NZ$56.1bn the year before.

The results come as Mercedes-Benz Trucks put its electric eActros out on the road with customers.

Ten vehicles in two and three-axle variants and a gross vehicle weight of 18 or 25 tonnes are being handed over in the next few weeks to customers who will be testing their everyday feasibility and economic efficiency under real-life conditions.

The testing will focus on inner-city goods transport and delivery services and is part of the company’s vision to be a global leader in emission-free, quiet driving in urban environments with its trucks.

Mass production of the Mercedes-Benz electric trucks is set for around 2021.

Daimler AG trucks and buses board member Martin Daum says the electric model is progressing quickly.

“We now want to work together with our customers to move swiftly forward with the development of our Mercedes-Benz eActros to the point where it becomes a viable proposition in tough everyday operations – both technically and commercially,” he says.

Daum is also questioning the competition of Tesla and doubts whether Elon Musk’s company can deliver electric-powered rigs by 2019, Bloomberg reports.

“If Tesla really delivers on this promise, we’ll obviously buy two trucks — one to take apart and one to test because if that happens, something has passed us by,” Daum told Bloomberg.

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