Singapore’s first Mercedes-Benz electric heavy truck hits the road and makes hauling cargo greener than before

Harald Schmidt (second from left), CEO of Daimler Commercial Vehicles South East Asia, at the handover of Singapore's first Mercedes-Benz eActros 300 to DB Schenker.

Singapore’s electric-car revolution has accelerated in recent years, thanks to incentives from the Government, ongoing improvements in the country’s charging infrastructure and a wider choice of electric models.

But the electrification and consequent decarbonisation of Singapore’s commercial vehicles is moving at a slower pace, because the cost of going electric in the truck segment is much higher and more complicated than doing it with passenger cars.

For example, the Mercedes-Benz eActros 300 which started work recently with German logistics giant DB Schenker and its transport partner Meteorite Logistics Services in Singapore. 

It costs three times more than an equivalent diesel truck, although this is offset by the estimated 45% lower running cost of the eActros 300 in terms of mileage, haulage, maintenance and recharging (versus diesel refuelling). 

DB Schenker is the first eActros customer in Singapore and was also the first in Germany. This is the company’s second electric truck in Singapore, with its first EV being a battery-powered Scania heavy goods vehicle. 

The eActros 300 has a range of 300 kilometres (hence the model name) from its three-pack battery set, which takes about 75 minutes to be recharged from 20% to 80% via the CCS2 charging port. 

The eActros 300 is not only a workhorse with a 14-pallet cargo capacity, it is also a safe ride for the worker behind the wheel. 

The Mercedes-Benz e-truck is equipped with Active Brake Assist 5 (which uses radar, a camera and audio-visual alerts to help the trucker avoid a frontal collision with another vehicle or a pedestrian), and a MirrorCam system of digital side view cameras (to reduce the big blind spots of the big truck and again help the trucker drive safer).

With 15% of CO2 emissions in Singapore coming from transportation, of which about 2 million tons of CO2 are emitted by trucks and buses, one Mercedes-Benz eActros 300 is a small step but in the right direction.“We are committed to partnering with businesses and governments to drive the widespread adoption of electric trucks for a more sustainable future,” said Harald Schmidt, CEO of Daimler Commercial Vehicles South East Asia.

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