“Diesel technology is already
close to its physical limits
in terms of efficiency”
Dr Uwe Baake, head of product engineering, Mercedes-Benz Trucks
48 // July 2019 // www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com
The European Union became the
latest region to introduce CO2
emission standards for heavy duty
vehicles (HDVs) last year, following
Canada, China, Japan and the
United States. Mandating a 15% cut between
2019 and 2025, and 30% by 2030, with a 2% low
and zero-emission vehicle share by 2025, it’s set
a path towards electrifi cation for a sector with
a 98% diesel share.
“Diesel technology is already close to its
physical limits in terms of e ciency, making
cost-eff ective fuel economy more di cult,” says
Professor Dr Uwe Baake, head of product
engineering at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, adding
that the company is setting up a group-wide
strategy for electrifi cation, across its car,
van and HDV divisions. “We see pure
battery-electric drive where it makes
sense, possibly supplemented by
other solutions such as range
extender concepts or, in the future,
fuel cells.”
James McGeachie, director of
engineering at Prodrive, believes this
could steer development along the
same direction as passenger cars. “It’s
hard to think that you wouldn’t hybridize
1. Mercedes-Benz eActros
heavy-duty electric truck
is powered two motors on
the rear axle that produce
a combined 342ps
2. A variety of truck
bodies can be used with
the electric architecture
2
1
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