Amazon puts 50 Mercedes-Benz eActros electric semi trucks to work in Germany — SkimNews
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- Amazon is deploying 50 Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 electric semi trucks in Germany before end of 2026, with the first 26 of its largest-ever order (200+ eActros 600s) already on the road
- The eActros 600 trucks carry 621 kWh battery packs delivering 500 km of range and 1.61 kWh/mile efficiency at an average combined vehicle weight of 36 metric tons (~79,400 lbs)
- Amazon is installing hundreds of DC fast chargers across the region, capable of charging the trucks' batteries from 20% to 80% in just over one hour
- Amazon is investing more than 1 billion euros in electrification across Europe, including over 400 million euros dedicated to its German operations
- A Frontier Economics analysis commissioned by Amazon estimates these investments have supported over 35,000 jobs and contributed up to 3 billion euros to Germany's economy
- Andreas Marschner (VP of Sustainable Operations at Amazon) called the deployment a "milestone" for decarbonizing the company's global transportation network
- The eActros 600's specs are explicitly compared against "the theoretical efficiency claims of the Tesla Semi" with a pointed qualifier: "Except in the real world. And in winter."
Why it matters: Amazon's 1 billion euro European electrification push, anchored by its largest-ever eActros 600 order of 200+ trucks, moves heavy-duty battery-electric trucking from pilot to commercial scale. With the eActros 600's real-world specs explicitly benchmarked against Tesla Semi's theoretical claims, Mercedes gains a flagship logistics customer proving middle-mile electric viability.
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