160 million kilometres changes the EV conversation
Mercedes-Benz says eActros 600 trucks have accumulated more than 160 million customer kilometres, shifting the EV discussion towards operations.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks revealed an important number at IAA.
Its eActros 600 fleet has now accumulated more than 160 million kilometres in customer operations since market introduction.
Mercedes-Benz says the eActros 600 can achieve a range of up to 560 kilometres in its most energy efficient configuration at a gross combination weight of 40 tonnes.
The manufacturer also said it held around 38% of the European market for medium and heavy duty locally CO2 free trucks during the first half of 2026.
These are no longer laboratory numbers.
They are operational numbers.
WHY IT MATTERS
The debate surrounding electric trucks is gradually changing. The question used to be: Can an electric truck perform long distance commercial work? Increasingly the questions are:
- Which routes work economically?
- Where should charging happen?
- What does battery degradation look like?
- How does residual value develop?
- How should fleets schedule charging?
- What happens to utilisation?
- This is a much more mature conversation.
- Electric trucking is moving from technology validation towards operational optimisation.
Sources
This story first appeared in The Fleet Brief Issue 004, published 21 September 2026.