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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
DECEMBER 2016
12
A
t the 2014 edition of IAA
Commercial Vehicles, new
products making their way
into the market took centre
stage, and one of the key
themes on several stands was the brand
new Euro 6 trucks. But, in 2016 there was
a complete shift with concepts rather than
new truck launches stealing the limelight.
Concepts from several big truck makers
gave a glimpse of the future of on-highway
trucking. The main trends behind these
developments range from connectivity,
automation, through to electric drive and
alternative fuels.
For Mercedes-Benz, the focus was on
what the truck giant terms “megatrends of
the future” – digitalisation and e-mobility.
While its breakdown-free truck might have
seemed a long way off at the beginning
of the year, Mercedes-Benz Trucks raised
the bar even higher with its Urban eTruck,
the world’s first fully-electric heavy-duty
distribution truck, which could roll onto the
market as early as 2020.
It is said to be a ground breaking truck
where connectivity meets e-mobility. “We
are pioneering e-mobility, connectivity
and autonomous driving,” says Wolfgang
Bernhard, head of Mercedes-Benz Truck
and Bus.
“The starting point was our customer
base and their expectations from future
trucks,” says Sven Ennerst, head of
project engineering for the Urban eTruck
concept. “They want a vehicle that offers
zero emissions and that is what we are
proposing. The price tag will be higher
than a conventional truck, but we are
working on reducing that, plus the lower
operating costs will help counter the extra
initial costs.”
Mercedes-Benz says its Urban eTruck
uses the possibilities opened up by
connectivity to create a seamlessly
interconnected system that incorporates
range and load management, vehicle
information and peripheral data. “The
modular construction of the batteries is
the first step to perfecting the interaction
between the drive control and power supply
management to maximise performance
and range in short-radius distribution,”
says Bernhard. The additions of Predictive
Charge Management, proactive Predictive
Powertrain Control cruise control and
FleetBoard for urban distribution make the
Urban eTruck suitable for everyday use.
Mercedes-Benz says its innovative
FleetBoard telematics service for urban
TRUCKS OF THE FUTURE
New products and trends always take centre stage at major capital equipment
exhibitions. At this year’s IAA Commercial Vehicles show, megatrends
of the future – digitisation, e-mobility, autonomy, alternative propulsion,
sustainability and the road to an emissions-free future – were key themes,
supported by an array of concept vehicles presented as the future of on-
highway trucking by several big truck makers. By
Munesu Shoko
Mercedes-Benz’s Urban eTruck concept is a fully-
electric heavy-duty distribution truck, which could
roll onto the market as early as 2020.