First unveiled in June, the Mercedes-Benz eActros has officially entered series production, with the first vehicle rolling off the production line in the new Future Truck Center at the Wörth plant today.
The heart of the eActros series production is the Future Truck Centre, the production hall in building 75, which was officially put into operation with the start of today’s series production.
In the future, the electrification of further CO2-neutral Mercedes-Benz trucks will also take place here.
Series production of the eEconic, developed for municipal use, is scheduled to start in the second half of 2022.
Meanwhile, the battery-electric eActros LongHaul for long-distance transport is scheduled to be ready for series production in 2024.
Before the eActros comes to the Future Truck Centre for its electrification, it will be flexibly manufactured on the existing assembly line alongside trucks with conventional drive systems.
Basically, the assembly of different vehicle types will take place in an integrated manner as far as possible and the basic structure of the vehicle will be built on one assembly line – regardless of whether a conventional combustion engine or an electric powertrain is installed.
The eActros then goes to the Future Truck Center, where the electrification of the vehicle takes place.
Intensive preparations for the new production processes have been made there in recent months. This includes, among other things, the construction of a new assembly line.
Step by step, the eActros will be further assembled here. In addition to the high-voltage batteries, other high-voltage components are assembled in various production steps, including the charging unit.
It forms the interface through which the vehicle is connected to the charging station.
Once all the components have been assembled, the entire system is put into operation at the Future Truck Centre. The truck is then ready to drive. The vehicle is reintegrated into the regular production process for finishing and final inspection.
The new production processes also result in new requirements for the qualification and further development of the workforce.
Started in 2018, over 2,500 employees have so far received further training in the handling of high-voltage vehicles and components at the site’s own training centre in Wörth – and have acquired indispensable skills for the assembly of electrically powered trucks.
The eActros makes the start, further models will follow: In mid-July, the management and the works council agreed on a future target picture that includes the sustainable series production of battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell trucks at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth, the further development and qualification of the workforce within this transformation, and the further expansion of digitalisation at the site.
With the decision to manufacture zero-emission trucks in Wörth, the company is securing the long-term capacity utilisation of the plant and stable employment at the location.
