Daimler ’s Mercedes - Benz division unveiled an almost production - ready electric truck concept called the Mercedes Urban eTruck on 14 September , pipping Tesla at the post , after Elon Musk announced the second part of its long - term Strategic Plan , which included plans to expand into electric commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks . The Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck has an electrically powered rear axle with electric motors directly adjacent to the wheel hubs. Previously , the weight and cost of batteries prevented the use of electric trucks to carry heavy loads , however , thanks to advances in battery technology this is no longer the case . Daimler ’s truck will use a modular lithium - ion battery pack with a total capacity of 212kWh providing an operating range of up to 200 km between charges .
Daimler ’s Mercedes - Benz division unveiled an almost production - ready electric truck concept called the Mercedes Urban eTruck on 14 September , pipping Tesla at the post , after Elon Musk announced the second part of its long - term Strategic Plan , which included plans to expand into electric commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks . Previously , the weight and cost of batteries prevented the use of electric trucks to carry heavy loads , however , thanks to advances in battery technology this is no longer the case . Daimler ’s truck will use a modular lithium - ion battery pack with a total capacity of 212kWh providing an operating range of up to 200 km between charges .