New Power from Benz, Both Diesel and Electric

Visitors to the upcoming Brisbane Truck Show will be seeing new power from Benz, both diesel and electric.

The all-electric eEconic will join the, previously announced eActros, at the show. The Econic, designed for waste collection in densely-populated areas and is known for visibility, practicality and active safety features.

Now, the electric eEconic version adds near-silent powertrain and zero local emissions. It will feature on the Daimler Truck Stand before being part of a validation trial that will take place in Australia and New Zealand after the show. 

“We can’t wait to present the eEconic, a clean, quiet and safe electric truck that is perfectly suited to operating in high density areas,” said Andrew Assimo, Mercedes-Benz Trucks Australia Pacific Director. “There is a lot of anticipation about our fully-electric eEconic and eActros and we are excited to be able to have them on our stand in Brisbane before they get to work as part of our validation trial.” 

Production of the g eEconic began last year at the Mercedes-Benz Trucks factory in Wort in Germany. It uses much the same electric drivetrain as the eActros. It has been designed to cover the majority of typical waste collection routes operated by an Econic in a single shift without intermediary charging.

The electric drivetrain enables a level cab floor to be used, allowing easy movement through the cab. This is particularly advantageous when the driver wishes to leave the vehicle through the folding door on the co-driver’s side, well out of the way of traffic.

In a period where all of the talk seems to be about alternative drivelines the diesel engine is also moving forward with an engine offering fuel cuts of up to four per cent, the third generation OM471 engine being introduced at the Show.

According to Mercedes Benz, the raft of minor changes to the engine add up to a major improvement of the 13-litre OM471 powerplant, with a fuel saving of up to four per cent, when compared to the previous generation OM471.  

Several key engine elements have been redesigned to reduce friction and optimise combustion. 

“The Actros has established a legendary reputation as a fuel economy champion and it is great to see further improvements being delivered for the popular 13-litre engine,” said Andrew. “Mercedes-Benz Trucks is pleased to continue delivering innovations that drive down the total cost of ownership and help our customers control costs in a challenging environment.

“Mercedes-Benz Trucks and many of our customers are very excited about advanced battery electric trucks such as the eActros, which produces zero local emissions. We also think further advancements of our diesel internal combustion engine technology will deliver considerable fuel efficiency improvement and emission reductions across many fleets.”

In order to deliver the OM471 improvements, engineers refined the design of the piston recess geometry, cylinder head parameters and injection nozzles. There is also a new engine oil pressure control valve and a newly developed low viscosity oil, which helps with fuel efficiency without increasing wear or reducing oil change intervals.

These changes allowed for the compression ratio of the six-cylinder engine to increase from 18.3:1 to 20.3:1, which enables combustion with a peak ignition pressure of 250 bar.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has also developed new turbocharger tailored to further improve fuel consumption that is manufactured in-house.

A newly developed exhaust gas after-treatment system also helps deliver consumption savings and improve NOx conversion. As a result, the engine meets the strict new Euro 6e emissions standard.