Photo: Roland Froschauer
Austria will see its first electric truck for car transport in operation starting January 2025. The truck, a Mercedes-Benz eActros 300, will shuttle finished vehicles between the Magna Steyr plant in Graz and Hödlmayr’s nearby compound, a distance of just 4kms.
The eActros 300 has a range of 300kms and is supported by a trailer provided by Kässbohrer.
Charging will be carefully managed, with a one-hour charge during production shift breaks and a full recharge overnight at a fast-charging station installed at the compound.
“The success of this project has once again shown how important partnerships are. Together we have taken an important first step toward sustainable vehicle logistics,” said CEO Johannes Alexander Hödlmayr.
Hödlmayr specifically acknowledged Daimler Truck for providing the electric vehicle, Kässbohrer for supplying the trailer and Siemens for constructing the fast-charging station at the logistics facility.
The Magna Steyr plant assembles vehicles for brands including BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota, making this a key logistical route. The project involved extensive route analysis to ensure efficient operation with planned charging pauses.
Hödlmayr is implementing measures to reduce carbon emissions in vehicle logistics. As part of these efforts, the company is working with truckmaker Scania and emissions-tracking firm Elain to collect detailed CO2 data. Additionally, it has expanded its use of rail transport on routes such as Barcelona, Spain, to Schwertberg, Austria, in response to OEM requirements for more sustainable transport options.
