Daimler Truck’s eActros 600 electric heavy-duty truck has been in production since November, yet the manufacturer recently sent two units on a winter test drive across Scandinavia to assess energy consumption under extreme conditions.
The “European Testing Tour Winter 2025” covered more than 6,500 kilometers in January and February, with two trucks, each carrying a total weight of 40 tons, retracing part of Daimler Truck’s summer test route. The original tour extended to the Nordkapp, across the Baltic States, and down to Tarifa, Spain, before returning to Germany.
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This winter test focused on evaluating the eActros 600 in cold-weather conditions, including varying terrains and climates in Northern Europe. The trucks traveled through ten countries, experiencing temperatures ranging from minus 18 to plus 9 degrees Celsius, with daily speeds between 64 and 77 kilometers per hour.
Daimler Truck did not disclose precise consumption figures but noted a 25% increase in energy consumption on a snow-free road at -2 degrees Celsius, compared to summer conditions. The higher usage was attributed primarily to increased rolling and air resistance from efficiency class B tires, cab heating, and reduced recuperation efficiency. On snow-covered and icy roads, where efficiency class D ‘Scandinavian’ tires were used, energy consumption rose by up to 50% compared to summer.
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Using the 106 kWh/100 km consumption recorded on a mountainous Norwegian route in summer as a benchmark, winter conditions resulted in an estimated range reduction to 390 kilometers in extreme cases. However, even with a 25% increase in consumption, the range remained at approximately 470 kilometers, sufficient for four hours of driving.
“Drivers do not have to freeze in the eActros 600 or limit heating,” said Werner Kempfle, a Daimler Truck development engineer and co-project manager. The engineers covered nearly 3,000 kilometers in five days, relying solely on public charging stations while maintaining an interior temperature of 21 degrees Celsius during the day and 19 degrees at night. The impact on range from overnight heating was minimal, reducing overall distance by only two to five percent.
The winter test route bypassed Norway, instead traveling through Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Austria before returning to Stuttgart and Wörth. The eActros 600’s 621 kWh battery was charged exclusively at public stations.
“While finding truck-compatible charging stations remains a challenge, we encountered well-equipped sites in Scandinavia with sufficient capacity and proper infrastructure,” said Jochen Gottstein, Daimler Truck’s Manager of Testing Energy Consumption & Range. “However, these remain the exception, and charging infrastructure still requires significant expansion.”
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