DPD UK to start long term trial of Mercedes-Benz eActros 300 lowliner

Parcel delivery firm, DPD has confirmed a long-term trial in the UK of the all-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 300 lowliner.

The trial will see the truck deployed on a customer route to understand the real-world capabilities of the vehicle, including its range, payload and charging performance.

The vehicle’s low coupling height will enable DPD to assess the eActros in a realistic configuration, pulling DPD’s double-deck trailers.

DPD has operated double-deck trailers for many years, which reduce the number of vehicles on the road by increasing parcel capacity and reducing the accompanying emissions.

The vehicle will be based at DPD’s Hub 4 and 5 in Hinckley and after undergoing driver training, route and range testing the eActros will be assigned to a DPD customer route.

The eActros 300 is equipped with three battery packs that have a total battery capacity of 336 kWh, enabling a range of up to 220 km on a single battery charge.

A key element of the trial will be charging the eActros using DPD’s existing infrastructure of 50kW chargers – primarily used by delivery vans – during the day when there will be sufficient downtime for the truck to charge using this infrastructure.

DPD’s 1,600 strong HGV fleet is predominantly fuelled by HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil), which can reduce engine emissions by over 8o per cent compared to diesel.

“We have worked with Mercedes-Benz for many years, and they provided the 300 specifically for this trial, as it matches our core requirement range for the majority of our customer and depot routes,” said a DPD UK spokesperson.

“While we will need eHGVs with a much longer range, this will give us a very real test for both the vehicle and our charging network,” they added.