A professional truck driver and YouTuber known as “Elektrotrucker” is about to undertake what is believed to be the world’s first trip around the world in a fully electric truck.
Tobias Wagner, who boasts tens of thousands of followers across his social media channels including YouTube and Instagram, is a professional truck driver with German freight and logistics provider Nanno Janssen Spedition. Allong with his dog Krümelix, shares his experience with driving battery electric trucks with the world.
Nanno Janssen is currently in the process of transitioning its fleet from diesel to electric and has already built its own charging park.
In his work for the company, Wagner has driven a number of different battery electric trucks from various manufacturers but has more recently been driving a Mercedes‑Benz eActros 600, racking up 200,000 kilometres in national and international long-haul transport.
In an effort to showcase the potential of battery electric trucks in long-distance travel, Wagner is aiming to drive his eActros 600 around the globe, a journey he will document on his social media channels.
“After countless tours through 22 countries, I know one thing for sure: electric trucks in long-distance transport work without any problems,” said Tobias Wagner.
“To convince even the last skeptics, I am following in the footsteps of Jules Verne – though I’m not traveling around the world in 80 days, but in 80 charging stations!
“For such an adventure, the eActros 600, with its enormous battery capacity, efficiency, and body options, is the perfect companion. That is why I wanted to use this vehicle specifically to show that electromobility in heavy transport has long since arrived in real-world operation.”
The journey is expected to take approximately one year and will see Wagner cover around 45,000 kilometres across more than 35 countries with a maximum of 80 charging stops.
A few modifications will be made to the eActros 600, a 4×2 flatbed vehicle that rolled off the production line at the Mercedes‑Benz plant in Wörth am Rhein in mid-April. A
dditions include spare wheel carrier with an integrated mobile charging unit, single tires, and additional headlights at the front, as well as a specially developed motorhome-style body by the company Bliss Mobil, which will serve as Wagner’s mobile base for the journey.
Mercedes‑Benz designed its eActros 600 as a long-haul transport truck, featuring a 600kWh+ battery and an efficient electric drive axle, that together enables a range of 500 kilometres.
“Battery-electric long-haul transport is already a lived reality in many parts of Europe today,” said Christian Wilz, chairman of the management board of Mercedes‑Benz Trucks Germany.
“Our customers demonstrate in daily operations that electric long-distance logistics works -provided the infrastructure is available.
“Now we are excited to see what experiences Tobias will gather with the eActros 600 on his extraordinary global expedition – a journey that will show both that battery-electric long-haul transport can already work worldwide and that in many regions the necessary conditions still need to be created to make it broadly viable.”
Wagner is currently scheduled to begin his journey starting in the Northern Hemisphere’s autumn later this year. You’ll be able to follow Wagner’s journey around the world on his YouTube channel here.
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Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.