Dutch logistics provider Simon Loos has placed an order for 75 Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 electric trucks, expanding their electric fleet to 135 vehicles. The order was finalised at the IAA Transportation show in Hannover last month.
Simon Loos completed initial testing of the eActros 600 this summer, becoming the first company outside Germany to do so. During the trial period, their prototype covered 25,000 km while servicing Albert Heijn, the Netherlands’ largest supermarket chain.
“The eActros 600 is a real game changer,” said Wim Roks, Fleet Manager at Simon Loos. “While we used to be able to safely plan around 250 to 300 km per trip with electric vehicles, we will be able to cover 500 km with these vehicles. This means that the route is no longer a planning obstacle for our company.”
The electric trucks are equipped with battery capacity exceeding 600 kilowatt hours and feature a new electric drive axle. According to Mercedes-Benz, the vehicles can achieve a range of 500 km on a single charge when operating at 40 tonnes gross combination mass, with potential for longer ranges depending on driving conditions.
Tjeerd Tromp, Head of Sales at Daimler Truck Nederland, noted the longstanding relationship between the companies: “Simon Loos has made an important contribution to optimising the eActros 600, which will soon go into series production, by carrying out practical tests. It is therefore great that this cooperation is confirmed by an order of this magnitude.”
The first vehicles are scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2025 and will primarily be used for retail supply operations. Series production of the eActros 600 is set to begin at Mercedes-Benz’s Wörth plant in late November 2024.
