Mercedes-Benz Trucks Unveils eActros Lowliner for High-Volume Electric Transport With Up to 500 km Range and Future Megawatt Charging

Mercedes-Benz eActros Lowliner

(IN BRIEF) Mercedes-Benz Trucks is expanding its battery-electric heavy-truck portfolio with the new eActros Lowliner, designed specifically for high-volume long-haul transport and presented publicly for the first time at IAA Transportation 2026 in Hanover. Available with two or three 207 kWh LFP battery packs, the eActros 400 Lowliner offers 414 kWh of capacity and approximately 24 tonnes of payload, while the eActros 600 Lowliner provides 621 kWh, around 21 tonnes of payload and an estimated full-load range of approximately 500 kilometres. The truck supports CCS2 charging at up to 400 kW and, from the second half of 2027, optional MCS charging at up to 1,000 kW, enabling 10%-to-80% charging in less than 30 minutes under specified conditions. Its low fifth-wheel configuration accommodates mega trailers with interior heights up to three metres, while the electric axle produces 400 kW continuously and 600 kW at peak. Orders begin in the third quarter of 2026, with series production at Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ Wörth plant scheduled for the second quarter of 2027.

(PRESS RELEASE) LEINFELDEN-ECHTERDINGEN / HANOVER, 14-Sep-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Mercedes-Benz Trucks is presenting the new eActros Lowliner to a broad audience for the first time at IAA Transportation in Hanover, expanding its battery-electric truck portfolio with a model specifically developed for high-volume long-haul transport.

The new eActros Lowliner is designed to help freight operators electrify applications that require maximum trailer volume and particularly low fifth-wheel heights. Orders will open in EU30 markets and additional international markets from the third quarter of 2026, while series production at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2027. The model uses the technological foundation of the eActros 600, which has been in series production and customer operation since late 2024.

Achim Puchert, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Trucks, said the new model brings the proven battery and drive technology of the eActros 600 into an additional transport segment. He said combining the established lowliner vehicle concept with battery-electric technology will enable customers to handle high-volume freight economically and with locally CO₂-free operation.

The eActros Lowliner is configured as a 4×2 tractor unit with a 4,000 mm wheelbase and a 2.50-metre-wide cab. Its fifth-wheel height and ground clearance are comparable with equivalent diesel trucks, allowing operators to use mega trailers within legally permitted overall vehicle-height limits while achieving interior trailer heights of up to three metres.

To achieve the required low fifth-wheel position, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has changed the battery-pack arrangement. While the standard eActros 600 places its batteries transversely below the frame, the Lowliner installs them longitudinally along the chassis, reducing the installation space required beneath the vehicle. This configuration is intended to make it easier for fleets to introduce electric tractors into existing high-volume logistics operations.

The vehicle uses Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ internally developed electric drive axle, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology and an 800-volt electrical architecture. Customers can choose between two or three battery packs, each with an installed capacity of 207 kWh.

The two-pack eActros 400 Lowliner therefore provides 414 kWh, while the three-pack eActros 600 Lowliner offers 621 kWh of installed capacity. The eActros 600 Lowliner has an internally determined range of approximately 500 kilometres at full payload, although Mercedes-Benz Trucks notes that tyres, semitrailer configuration, driving conditions and operating weight can affect real-world range.

The two-battery eActros 400 Lowliner has a lower vehicle weight and therefore provides greater payload capacity. Mercedes-Benz Trucks estimates maximum payload at approximately 24 tonnes, compared with around 21 tonnes for the eActros 600 Lowliner with three battery packs.

Both versions support CCS2 charging at up to 400 kW. Under the company’s specified charging conditions, the two-pack version can charge from 10% to 80% in approximately 46 minutes, while the three-pack model requires around 70 minutes.

From the second half of 2027, both configurations are also scheduled to support the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) through an optional additional charging socket. The two-pack version will support charging power of up to 700 kW, enabling a 10%-to-80% charge in approximately 27 minutes, while the three-pack model will support up to 1,000 kW and target the same charging window in about 29 minutes under the defined test conditions.

The Lowliner’s electric axle combines two electric motors with a four-speed transmission, producing 400 kW of continuous power and 600 kW at peak output. Recuperation enables energy to be recovered during deceleration and returned to the batteries, while also reducing load on the conventional braking system.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has also equipped the model with Predictive Powertrain Control, which uses information about topography, road geometry and traffic signs to optimize speed and energy consumption ahead of upcoming route conditions.

Safety technology is based on a new electronic platform offering 20 times greater computing power and six sensors providing coverage across approximately 270 degrees around the vehicle. Assistance technologies include Active Brake Assist 6 Plus, Active Sideguard Assist 3, Front Guard Assist, Active Drive Assist 3 and Attention Assist 2.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks says some of the systems exceed the requirements of the EU General Safety Regulation. Attention Assist 2 uses an infrared camera to support driver alertness, while the enhanced environmental sensing of Active Brake Assist 6 Plus is designed to enable faster reactions to potentially critical situations. The company stresses that assistance systems remain supportive technologies and do not remove the driver’s responsibility for safe vehicle operation.

The eActros Lowliner receives the aerodynamically optimized ProCabin, developed to reduce energy consumption while providing a flat floor and spacious interior suited to long-haul operations and overnight stays.

Available in Stream, Big and Giga configurations, the cab can include enhanced seat heating, flat-weave upholstery, beds with full slatted bases and higher-quality mattresses, ambient lighting, additional LED reading lights, USB-C outlets, a second refrigerator, a 230-volt socket and the SoloStar Concept.

The vehicle also uses MirrorCam, which replaces conventional exterior mirrors with cameras and displays. Functions include wide-angle reversing views, distance markers, image panning during cornering and surroundings monitoring while the truck is parked. The system works with Active Sideguard Assist 3 to provide visual warnings during potentially hazardous manoeuvres.

Inside the cab, the standard Multimedia Cockpit Interactive 2 provides a 12-inch display, touchscreen and voice-control functionality. Drivers can access information including battery state of charge, remaining range and energy consumption, while electric-specific navigation considers available charging infrastructure along the route.

Predictive Powertrain Control can also use navigation data to anticipate upcoming route conditions, while climate control, heating, lighting, telephone, navigation and entertainment functions can be managed through the touchscreen or multifunction steering wheel.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks expects the eActros Lowliner to extend electrification to additional high-volume transport operations both in its own inbound logistics network and among external freight carriers.

According to the company’s lifecycle assessment, eActros models can achieve around 40% lower CO₂ emissions compared with a comparable diesel Actros when charged using the average EU electricity mix. With electricity exclusively from renewable sources, lifecycle CO₂ emissions can be reduced by more than 80% over an assumed ten-year vehicle lifetime.

For the three-battery Lowliner, Mercedes-Benz Trucks estimates that the additional CO₂ footprint created during battery production can be offset after approximately 77,000 kilometres when using renewable electricity, or approximately 177,000 kilometres with the current European electricity mix. The company notes that lifecycle results depend strongly on the electricity mix and methodological assumptions used.

The new vehicle builds on the broader eActros 600 platform, which entered series production at Wörth at the end of 2024. Before launch, the eActros 600 completed extensive real-world testing, including a 15,000-kilometre European Testing Tour through 22 countries and a further approximately 6,500-kilometre winter test through Northern Europe. It was subsequently named International Truck of the Year 2025.

The standard eActros 600 can provide around 500 kilometres of range without intermediate charging and, in its most energy-efficient configuration, up to approximately 560 kilometres with three battery packs at a 40-tonne gross combination mass. Mercedes-Benz Trucks says more than 1,000 kilometres per day can be possible when intermediate charging takes place during statutory driver breaks and suitable charging infrastructure is available.

Its three 207 kWh LFP battery packs provide a combined 621 kWh installed capacity. Mercedes-Benz Trucks has designed the vehicle for up to 1.2 million kilometres over ten years, with battery health expected to remain above 80% after that period under its design assumptions.

The second-generation eActros portfolio now offers more than 40 base-vehicle variants, with different cab configurations, battery-pack combinations, wheelbases and axle layouts. The eActros Lowliner extends that range further by addressing the specialised requirements of high-volume logistics.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks Unveils eActros Lowliner for High-Volume Electric Transport With Up to 500 km Range and Future Megawatt Charging

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