The German city of Karlsruhe has shifted its waste collection fleet to fully electric operations, deploying 18 Mercedes-Benz eEconic trucks across daily routes without usage restrictions. The rollout, which began at the end of September, marks one of the most extensive municipal adoptions of electric refuse vehicles in the country.
The eEconic trucks are being used for routine waste operations—including residual waste, paper, and bulky waste collection—mirroring the duties traditionally handled by diesel models. Each truck is equipped with a 112 kWh battery pack, of which about 97 kWh is usable.
According to fleet managers, the vehicles complete average daily routes of roughly 80 km with around 60 stops on a single charge. After a full shift, the battery charge typically drops from 100% to only 65% or 64%, highlighting low energy consumption during stop-and-go operation aided by regenerative braking.
Karlsruhe officials report that each electric truck can reduce annual CO₂ emissions by 150 to 170 tonnes depending on its specific service area. With all 18 vehicles in operation, the city estimates potential yearly savings of around 1,200 tonnes of CO₂.
The procurement was supported by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport under a national programme promoting climate-friendly commercial vehicles and associated charging infrastructure. The initiative was coordinated by NOW GmbH, with applications processed by the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility.