A huge milestone for Simon Loos in the field of electric driving. The West Frisian logistics service provider will soon expand its electric fleet with no less than 75 Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 trucks. This is a large doubling of the current electric fleet of 60 electric trucks.

This purchase was completed at the IAA Transportation in Hannover and is also one of the largest orders to date in Europe. With a total of 135 electric trucks, Simon Loos will soon have the largest electric fleet in the Netherlands, which already consists largely of Mercedes-Benz. Tjeerd Tromp, Head of Sales at Daimler Truck Nederland, is proud of the collaboration between Simon Loos and Daimler Truck Nederland. He says: 'For decades, there has been a real partnership between the two companies. Simon Loos has also made a significant contribution to the optimization of the eActros 600, as it will soon go into series production, by carrying out practical tests. It is therefore great to see how this collaboration is once again confirmed by an order of this size. This not only demonstrates confidence in our product, but also the fact that electric trucks can currently be used extensively in daily practice.'

The first eActros 600, in the recognizable Simon Loos look, is expected to hit the road in the first quarter of next year. The majority will be deployed in retail distribution, with the vehicles being charged at the clients' premises.

Full-fledged alternative

Wim Roks is fleet manager at Simon Loos and very enthusiastic about the arrival of the trucks. 'The eActros 600 is a game changer. Where we were previously able to safely plan 250 to 300 kilometers per trip electrically, we will be able to reach 500 kilometers with these trucks. This means that the trip distance is no longer a planning restriction for our operation and we are making a huge leap forward with the integration of electric transport.'

In addition to the standard CCS charging connection, which allows the truck to be charged with up to 400 kW, the trucks are also supplied with a preparation for MCS charging (MegaWatt Charging System; megawatt charging). As soon as the MCS technology is available and standardized for all manufacturers, it will be possible to charge with 1,000 kW. This allows the truck to be charged from 20% to 80% in less than half an hour. Finally, the trucks are equipped with an e-PTO to allow the refrigeration unit on the trailer to cool electrically. All this makes the eActros 600 a more than worthy alternative to the diesel truck.

Promises fulfilled

This summer, Simon Loos was the first company outside Germany to start testing the eActros 600. Three professional drivers were specially trained for this by test engineers from Daimler Truck AG. In a few months, this test tractor drove 25,000 kilometers between suppliers and the regional and national distribution centers of Albert Heijn.
Roks says: 'The test tractor has absolutely fulfilled the promises of driving comfort, safety, consumption and driving distance. Simon Loos is therefore proud to help perfect the eActros 600 before series production starts in 2025.'

Driver training

Now that the electric fleet has more than doubled, Simon Loos is also going to train more employees to drive electric. In collaboration with the Central Bureau for Driving Licences (CBR), an addition has been made to the existing internal code-95 training that Simon Loos provides for its employees. This is also unique, because no other company is certified to offer this training.