Today, Mercedes-Benz Trucks, together with its project partner, the services division of Netze BW, has opened a charging park for customers near the Application Information Center (BIC) in Wörth am Rhein. At the eTruck Charging Park, electric truck customers can now test charging stations and charging concepts from various manufacturers as well as work with on-site experts from Mercedes-Benz Trucks to develop tailor-made charging solutions for their respective applications. Charging technology is provided for testing and combined with a comprehensive range of consulting services to help customers move smoothly into e-mobility.
Michael Scheib, Head of Product Management, Mercedes-Benz Trucks: “In the transformation to e-mobility, our goal is to offer our customers more than just an electric truck. We want to provide an integrated solution that includes consulting and charging infrastructure solutions from a single source. Our charging park for customers in Wörth is an integral part of this approach and shows customers, in a practical and tangible way, what charging infrastructure for their application can look like.”
“Besides the technological development of all the necessary components, the development of the electric charging infrastructure is one of the factors crucial to the success of electric heavy-duty transport“, explains Axel Hausen, Head of major e-mobility & special projects at the services division of Netze BW. “Together with our parent company, EnBW, we are contributing a lot of expertise in charging infrastructure and the energy industry to the project. In Wörth, we are working with investors such as e-fleet operators, truck manufacturers, industrial and commercial customers, and municipalities to develop individual charging solutions, especially for depot logistics, that will help electric heavy-duty transport take off.”
Various charging solutions available for testing
To start, the eTruck Charging Park has six charging stations from different manufacturers with outputs between 40 kW and 300 kW. Since charging technology continues to develop rapidly, this park has a modular structure so that charging stations can be added or replaced as necessary. Therefore the installation of an MCS charging station (megawatt charging system) is possible as a next step.
By providing different charging options in one place, customers have the opportunity to compare them directly. At the same time, the eTruck Charging Park also tackles important issues such as grid connection, local energy generation, energy storage, and intelligent management of charging processes. For example, it will be possible to illustrate how charging processes can be integrated into existing logistics processes and thereby reduce energy costs. Test driving the eActros 300/400 for heavy-duty distribution haulage also gives customers the opportunity to get an immediate impression of the efficiency, range, and charging capabilities of electric trucks. With this as a basis, customers can sketch out a complete electric solution for their individual needs together with the on-site experts. A photovoltaic system on the roof of the charging park, which includes stationary storage, shows the possibilities of an efficient power supply for charging stations.
Transparent consulting helps customers set up charging infrastructure
One focus of the eTruck Charging Park is on personal customer consulting, known as eConsulting. With this, customers learn first-hand how to integrate e-mobility into their own fleets and work processes. To master the transition to e-mobility, customers need both an opportunity to test equipment as well as expert support for setting up their own charging infrastructure.
SOURCE: Daimler Truck
