OTTO'S electrifies its entire fleet of trucks
The bodywork of the 22 electric trucks was supplied by the Swiss vehicle manufacturer Lanz + Marti. The company has announced through the social network LinkedIn that it has manufactured a complete series of 22 vehicles based on the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 model for OTTO'S. The order included two-axle trailers with plywood bodies, allowing the eActros vehicles to run as road trains.
According to OTTO'S, the range of the eActros 600, of up to 500 kilometers, allows most routes to be covered without intermediate stops to recharge. As Mark Ineichen, CEO of OTTO'S, points out: "80% of daily transport routes take place within a radius of this distance." According to the information provided, the eActros 600 vehicles make between two and four trips daily, returning regularly to the company's headquarters in Sursee, located in the canton of Lucerne. At this point, the vehicles are recharged and prepared for their next service.
Recharging infrastructure powered by solar energy generated in the facilities themselves.
For the electrification of its fleet, OTTO'S also has its own energy supply. Most of the electricity required will be provided by the photovoltaic installation at its headquarters. The company plans to inject the solar energy generated in its branches into its internal network and use it to operate the charging infrastructure.
With this transition, OTTO'S combines the electrification of freight transportation with the expansion of the use of renewable energy. The statement issued by the company did not provide detailed information about the installed charging capacities, investment costs or the specific schedule for the full commissioning of the 22 vehicles.
With the full electrification of our truck fleet, we have reached a significant milestone in the development of our logistics,” says Ineichen. At the same time, the purpose of this transition is to ensure that, in the future, branches can continue to receive their supplies efficiently and reliably.
eActros 600 for long-distance transport.
The Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 model, whose series production began in November 2024, has been designed for the transport of heavy goods on long-distance routes. The vehicle has three battery packs, each composed of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells, which together offer a combined capacity of 621 kWh. The manufacturer indicates an approximate range of 500 kilometers, excluding intermediate recharges. Actual range is affected by various factors, including load, route profile and driving style.
Recharging is carried out as standard via CCS at a power of up to 400 kW. In principle, this allows recharging to be integrated into operational processes where vehicles return to the depot between runs or during longer periods of inactivity. For OTTO'S, the combination of autonomy and regular returns to Sursee is of particular importance. According to the company, four out of five daily trips are within the range of the vehicle.
With the incorporation of the 22 units of the eActros 600 to its fleet, OTTO'S is implementing electrification comprehensively throughout its truck fleet. The implementation described demonstrates the potential of battery electric heavy commercial vehicles for integration into branch logistics, especially in those operations where a significant proportion of journeys are carried out within the range of the battery and the vehicles periodically return to a central base.
