- Just before the start of series production of the new battery-electric eActros 600 at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth on November 22, production of key components has started at the Gaggenau, Kassel and Mannheim plants.
- The Mercedes-Benz plant in Mannheim is starting assembly of the front box, the Gaggenau plant is producing transmission components such as shafts and wheels as well as housing parts and body shell components, and assembly of the new generation of the e-axle is beginning at the Kassel plant.
- Dr. Andreas Gorbach, Member of the Board of Management responsible for Truck Technology Daimler Truck: “Long-haul transport accounts for around two thirds of CO2 emissions in the transport industry. Our Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 will play a key role in the decarbonization of this important segment – thus, the start of production is an important milestone for us and our customers. Our plants in Gaggenau, Kassel and Mannheim are contributing key components. This shows: The truck is not an individual effort, but a team effort. Now, the buildup of public charging infrastructure must follow – it is currently the bottleneck of decarbonization.”
Mercedes-Benz Trucks will celebrate the start of series production of the eActros 600 on November 22 of this year at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth. The eActros 600 was recently selected as “International Truck of the Year 2025” at the IAA-Transportation in Hannover. The first eActros 600 customer vehicles will be manufactured and registered before the end of 2024. In each vehicle, central components from the Mercedes-Benz plants in Gaggenau, Kassel and Mannheim will be installed.
Dr. Andreas Gorbach, Member of the Board of Management responsible for Truck Technology Daimler Truck: “Long-haul transport accounts for around two thirds of CO2 emissions in the transport industry. Our Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 will play a key role in the decarbonization of this important segment – thus, the start of production is an important milestone for us and our customers. Our plants in Gaggenau, Kassel and Mannheim are contributing key components. This shows: The truck is not an individual effort, but a team effort. Now, the buildup of public charging infrastructure must follow – it is currently the bottleneck of decarbonization.”
Yariş Pürsün, Head of Global Powersystems Operation Daimler Truck: “Key components for the battery-electric eActros 600 for long-distance transportation are manufactured at our German sites. Assembly of the new generation of the e-axle, which combines the axle, motor and transmission and represents the electric powertrain, starts at the Kassel plant. The Gaggenau plant manufactures the components and housings for the e-axle as well as bodyshell components for the cab, while the front box is assembled at the Mannheim plant. This ensures that our Powertrain plants are very well positioned for the transformation to emission-free mobility.
Front box assembly at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Mannheim
The front box is a complex technology module with several control units, high-voltage components and an electric air compressor, and is located in the space previously occupied by the combustion engine. In contrast to the diesel engine, the front box does not have a specific drive function, but contains a large number of components that are essential for the truck to operate. In total, there are more than 1,000 individual parts.
Kassel manufactures the new generation of e-axle with key components from Gaggenau
The Mercedes-Benz plant in Gaggenau, which specializes in transmissions for heavy-duty commercial vehicles, is currently developing into a center of expertise for electric drive components. Since 2021, key parts for the e-axle of the eActros 300/400 for distribution transport and the eEconic have been manufactured in Gaggenau. The same will apply to the central components of the new generation of the electric axle that will power the eActros 600.
These are mechanical parts of the kind that Gaggenau has been producing for vehicles with conventional drivelines for many years. They are used to make the state-of-the-art, innovative 4-speed axle drive, which contains a total of around 30 different components. Gaggenau supplies these components to Kassel, the global competence center for electric drive systems and conventional commercial vehicle axles. Here, the complete assembly of the axle and transmission components takes place and the newly developed, electrically driven rear axle is created.
About the Mercedes-Benz plants in Gaggenau, Kassel and Mannheim
In 1908, today’s Mercedes-Benz Mannheim plant was founded in Mannheim-Waldhof on the Luzenberg. Over 4,600 employees produce engines and related components for commercial vehicles at the site. It is also Daimler Truck’s competence centre for battery technologies and high-voltage systems, which contributes significantly to the series production of the electrified product portfolio.
The Mercedes-Benz plant in Gaggenau was founded in 1894 as “Firma Bergmann’s Industriewerke in Gaggenau” and is the oldest automotive plant in the world. In addition to transmissions, the site produces planetary and portal axles as well as passenger car components, including torque converters. The Mercedes-Benz plant with over 4,600 employees in Gaggenau is currently developing into a competence center for electric drive components and the assembly of hydrogen-based fuel cell units.
At the Mercedes-Benz plant in Kassel, experience in truck manufacturing goes back to 1925. The Mercedes-Benz plant in Kassel was founded in 1969 as “Hanomag-Henschel-Fahrzeugwerke GmbH” and hast been manufacturing axles for commercial vehicles, among other things, for over 55 years. It is Daimler Truck’s global competence center for electric drive systems and conventional commercial vehicle axles. In pioneering production processes, the approximately 2,700 employees manufacture axles for trucks, buses, vans and passenger cars, as well as cardan shafts and gear sets, among others.
