The Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck, Future Bus and Vision Van have provided glimpses of the future of the transport industry on the eve of the 66th IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hanover. With a large number of new products and services, Daimler’s commercial vehicle brands are underscoring their pioneering role in the fields of connectivity, efficiency and safety at the 66th IAA Commercial Vehicles – also for here and now. All the new solutions pay off directly in terms of economy for customers in their daily business.
Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG for Daimler Trucks & Buses: “‘We deliver’ – that’s our motto for this IAA Commercial Vehicles. We present many ‘ industry-firsts’ that make our vehicles more efficient and safer. And we offer our customers connectivity services to make work-life easier and significantly increase the uptime of our trucks. At the same time, we are opening the door on a new era: e-mobility for urban areas.”
Digitization and electric mobility – key areas for the Daimler exhibition at the IAA in Hall 14/15
At this year’s IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hannover (September 22-29, 2016), the focus is on the megatrends of the future: digitization and electric mobility. A key element of sustainable and efficient logistics in the future is connectivity. Logistics takes place in a network with many players: vehicles, manufacturers, customers, haulage companies, infrastructure, repair workshops, body manufacturers and so on. With intelligent connectivity between vehicles, goods transport by road will now be lifted to a completely different level. At the IAA, Daimler’s commercial vehicle divisions are presenting to their customers a large number of specific, purchasable solutions to increase their efficiency and thus their own business success.
The digital transformation is entering Daimler commercial vehicles – predictive maintenance can now be ordered for Mercedes-Benz trucks
Reliability and availability are the main priorities of trucking companies – the ideal truck operates without any downtime. One example: Thanks to the preventive service product Mercedes-Benz Uptime, Actros, Arocs and Antos now approach this optimum very closely by means of intelligent connectivity. Uptime includes three services: avoidance of breakdowns, efficient management of repairs and maintenance, and real-time support for customers’ vehicle servicing. Uptime continuously checks vehicle systems and automatically reports any need for action via the FleetBoard telematics system to the server of Mercedes-Benz Service. Help is also organized. Mercedes-Benz Uptime can be ordered for all new Actros, Arocs and Antos trucks as of IAA 2016. It is being launched in twelve European countries with additional markets to follow.
Open FleetBoard Store for Apps: new user-specific applications for more efficiency in the transport industry
The FleetBoard telematics fleet-management service is premiering the new FleetBoard Store for Apps at IAA Commercial Vehicles 2016, with 14 apps already included at the presentation. The platform has deliberately been given an open design so that industry partners such as body builders, as well as app developers, can contribute useful applications to make the transport industry more efficient. The apps from the FleetBoard store can be used not only in Mercedes-Benz trucks, but also in all other brands. Examples of the apps in the FleetBoard store are being presented at the IAA together with industry partners. They involve for example simplified calculation of cargo securing for the driver, current fuel prices at various filling stations, or vacant parking spaces at rest stops along the route. They aim to reduce time and costs and to improve efficiency and convenience in the use of vehicles. Customers will be able to use the FleetBoard store as of 2017. Market launch starts in Germany and other countries will follow.
New web-based service Mercedes PRO Connect simplifies fleet management for van operators
The Mercedes-Benz Vans division is also focusing on the world premiere of a connected service on the press day of the IAA: Under the new brand Mercedes PRO, the division will gather together all services from Mercedes-Benz Vans under one roof. The modular system starts with the component Mercedes PRO Connect: With this web-based service, fleet managers will be connected with all vehicles and drivers. With the vehicle-management tool, a fleet manager will not only control jobs online, but will also be able to access information at any time concerning location, fuel level, maintenance intervals and so on. The fleet manager will communicate with the driver using the Driver’ s App on a mobile device. This will allow customers to significantly reduce the administrative expense of their yearly planning. As of market launch in mid-2017, Mercedes PRO Connect will offer ten different services. Mercedes PRO is once again demonstrating the transformation of the van division from a vehicle manufacturer into a system provider. Mercedes-Benz Vans’ goal is to offer customers such as builders or parcel delivery companies not just the basic vehicles, but also intelligent, holistic solutions for their specific vehicle applications.
Electric offensive and new, efficient drive systems for Daimler commercial vehicles
The third generation of the Fuso eCanter had its world premiere on the first press day of IAA Commercial Vehicles. In 2010, the eCanter was the world’s first light-duty truck with purely electric drive. A small series of the third generation of this light-duty truck (up to six tons gross vehicle weight) will be delivered to customers in Europe, the United States and Japan as of 2017.
“The new Fuso eCanter is an important step towards series production,” stated Marc Llistosella, President & CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation and Head of Daimler Trucks Asia. “For us, the eCanter with locally emission-free drive is also an economically attractive alternative to the diesel engine. Due to rapidly improving battery efficiency combined with significantly lower costs, we intend to launch the vehicle at a competitive price. The additional cost of purchase should be amortized for the customer within less than three years.”
The lower operating costs than with diesel models are an immediate pay-off. Results of a one-year practical test with the second generation of the electric Canter have already shown that approximately 1000 euros can be saved over 10,000 kilometers compared with a diesel version. With the added benefit of 30-percent lower maintenance costs, Fuso provides its customers with an economical solution for locally emission-free driving.
The new eCanter has an electric motor with a power output of 185 kilowatts. Its battery has a capacity of 70 kilowatt hours. So depending on body, load and type of application, a range of more than 100 kilometers is possible without stationary recharging. Extensive customer tests with the second generation have shown that its range is sufficient for the daily use of a light-duty truck. The eCanter can be exactly adapted to each customer’s needs in terms of range, price and weight. This concept is based on the realization that some customers do not require as much range, but more payload, while other can accept a lower payload but need a longer range (more battery sets). Battery-charging possibilities are also very individual: 80-percent capacity within an hour with direct current at a fast-charging station, alternatively 100 percent with alternating current in seven hours. In the future, fast charging will be possible with 170 kW, so 80-percent battery capacity will be achieved in just half an hour. Charging is carried out with the normed Combo-2 plug (also known as CCS).
In addition to the Fuso eCanter, Daimler has announced the market launch of three more fully electric commercial vehicles. In 2018, a van and a city bus from the Mercedes-Benz brand will be on the market. And the market launch of a heavy-duty truck for distribution transport is conceivable early in the next decade.
New efficient drive systems for series products from Daimler
For long distances, however, purely electric drive will not be the preferred system in the foreseeable future; trucks and buses with diesel engines will continue to be used for those applications. These highly efficient engines are being continually improved at Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses. The latest generation of the OM 470 compact heavy-duty engine is even more economical and has even lower emissions, combined with an all-round performance improvement. In the Actros with the OM 470 six-cylinder engine, engine and drivetrain modifications lead to a reduction in fuel consumption of up to five percent. As a result of engine modifications and other measures, fuel consumption of the Actros with the OM 471 heavy-duty engine is actually up to six percent lower. Compared with its predecessor of 2011, the fuel consumption of the Actros is up to 15 percent lower, due to a variety of further developments. This engine achieves lower emissions and saves money for operators also in buses: It reduces fuel consumption by 2.5 percent in coaches, by 2.4 percent in inter-city buses and by about two percent in the Citaro G.
The Mercedes-Benz Citaro NGT with the M 936 G natural-gas engine is premiered at the IAA. It features low noise levels and CO2 emissions, low weight and a large number of seats, strong power delivery and low fuel consumption, in combination with long service intervals. It offers significant advantages for use in urban areas with dense traffic. Such buses can run on natural gas or with biogas, which is nearly CO2-neutral. The arguments in favor of the Citaro NGT are convincing. Orders have already been received for a triple-digit number of buses from the cities of Madrid and Augsburg.
State-of-the-art safety systems for heavy-duty commercial vehicles – for the first time with person recognition
With Sideguard Assist and System Active Brake Assist 4, state-of-the-art safety systems for urban traffic are being launched for Mercedes-Benz trucks that protect the weakest road users: pedestrians and cyclists. Both systems can be ordered for trucks from the Mercedes-Benz brand as of the IAA.
Sideguard Assist is the industry’s first assistance system on the market that makes truck drivers in turning situations aware of pedestrians and cyclists, thus making a significant contribution towards safety in urban traffic. The Association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV) assumes that in the future, Sideguard Assist can help to avoid about half of all accidents involving trucks and pedestrians or cyclists.
Active Brake Assist 4 is the first emergency braking system in a truck that can significantly reduce the risk of accidents with pedestrians in the city. While Active Break Assist 3 automatically brakes fully if it senses standing and moving objects such as slow-moving vehicles or a traffic tailback, the new ABA 4 can also recognize pedestrians in city traffic who are stepping onto the road from between parked vehicles. In this case, it independently initiates partial braking.
Further information and press material on Daimler’s commercial-vehicle divisions at the IAA is available at www.d.ai/IAA2016
