FRANKFURT, July 27 (Reuters) - Daimler has unveiled an electric truck capable of transporting up to 25 tonnes, putting zero-emission vehicles on a par with conventional-engine variants in terms of payload and performance. So far, the weight and cost of batteries as well as their limited power have prevented electric drives from being used to transport heavy loads. Daimler, which owns the Mercedes-Benz brand, said on Wednesday electric trucks could be production ready from the start of the next decade, thanks to major advances in battery technology. Between 1997 and 2025, battery costs are likely to fall by 60 percent, Daimler said. At the same time, the energy density of batteries, and hence their power, will increase by around 250 percent. The higher energy density of batteries has opened the door for new players to enter the truck market. Electric carmaker Tesla, for example, has said it will unveil a commercial truck next year. The Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck has an electrically powered rear axle with electric motors directly adjacent to the wheel hubs. A modular lithium-ion battery pack with a total capacity of 212 kilowatt hours provides an operating range of up to 200 kilometres, Daimler said. (Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Mark Potter)
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 .