With the arrival of its first Mercedes?Benz eActros 600, Dutch logistics company Dobbe Transport is marking another milestone on its path toward electrifying its fleet. The battery-electric long?haul truck from Mercedes?Benz Trucks will primarily be used for general cargo transport within the Benelux countries. Dobbe already operates a first?generation battery-electric eActros 300. With the eActros 600, the company is now expanding its operations into heavy long?haul transport — for the first time without any operational limitations. For Dobbe, the eActros 600 is the first electric truck that fully meets the requirements of standard long?haul operations. Confidence in the new drivetrain technology is strong: the company has already placed orders for two additional eActros 600 tractor units.
eActros 600 with tag axle for high payload capacity
Configured as a 6×2 flatbed with a steered tag axle, the eActros 600 is expected to cover around 125,000 kilometers per year in CO?e?free operation. With this setup, Dobbe Transport is deliberately focusing on maximum operational flexibility and high payload capacity in daily transport business. The additional factory?installed axle increases the permissible axle load and ensures more stable and balanced weight distribution. As a result, more payload can be transported efficiently — a clear advantage for the flexibility and performance of the battery?electric eActros 600 in long?distance operations. Thanks to the double coupling device, the vehicle can be used in a variety of ways, including with central?axle trailers, drawbar trailers, and double?deck trailers.
Managing Director Eric Dobbe explains: “With this investment, we are responding to road tolls and, in the future, to the European emissions trading system for road transport that will apply from 2027. Mercedes?Benz Trucks offers a mature concept with this vehicle, which has proven to be reliable, and in which we place great trust. This enables us to meet the requirements of expanding zero?emission zones while supporting our customers in reducing their CO?e footprint. Another decisive factor is having access to a knowledgeable contact person at any time through the international dealer network of Mercedes?Benz Trucks. This is an important driver of acceptance in the market.”
Dobbe Transport is also evaluating the use of electric trucks on routes to France and Germany. “Given the growing charging infrastructure, I expect rapid adoption in international transport,” says Dobbe.
In day-to-day operations, battery electric trucks are becoming increasingly important at Dobbe Transport. Thanks to the long range of the eActros 600, dispatchers can plan the vehicle on Benelux routes almost on par with diesel trucks. Dobbe specifically assigns drivers with an affinity for electromobility – their workday is also changing. “They experience the advantages firsthand: the eActros 600 drives quietly and with low vibration, accelerates powerfully thanks to its instantly available torque, and offers a high level of comfort with its spacious BigSpace cab. These qualities are being appreciated by more and more drivers,” notes Eric Dobbe.
Electrification as an integral part of corporate strategy
Dobbe Transport is gradually integrating electrification throughout the organization. In the coming months, the company plans to commission its own charging facility with a transformer station, where eight electric trucks can be charged in parallel. A later expansion to up to 16 battery?electric vehicles is planned. The company is also evaluating in?house solar power generation to reduce energy costs. In parallel, Dobbe Transport is developing a transport management system that fully integrates electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, and route planning — automatically prioritizing charging processes.
About Dobbe Transport
Dobbe Transport is a family?owned logistics company headquartered in Roelofarendsveen in the Netherlands. It organizes national and international transport of various goods including food products, flowers, animal feed, and industrial goods, including temperature?controlled cargo. The company also provides warehousing, bonded storage, air freight, and e?fulfillment services. Dobbe Transport operates in the Benelux countries and France.
About the eActros 600
Mercedes-Benz Trucks celebrated the series launch of the eActros 600 at the end of November 2024 the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth. Deliveries to customers began in December 2024. The electric flagship from Mercedes-Benz Trucks has already proven its capabilities several times under real-life conditions: In customer use and as part of the “eActros 600 European Testing Tour 2024”, a 15,000-kilometer all-electric development trip through a total of 22 countries and the “European Testing Tour Winter 2025” on around 6,500 kilometers through Northern Europe, each with a gross combination mass of 40 tons. In addition, the e-truck was voted “International Truck of the Year 2025”. The award is the most important prize in the industry and is presented annually by the International Truck of the Year (IToY) organization, consisting of 24 commercial vehicle journalists from Europe.
The high battery capacity of over 600 kilowatt hours – hence the model designation 600 – and a new, particularly efficient electric drive axle developed in-house enable the eActros 600 to achieve a range of 500 kilometers[1] without intermediate charging. This range is accomplished under very realistic and practical conditions with a gross combination mass of 40 tons, which can also be significantly exceeded depending on the driving style and the route. The eActros 600 will even be able to cover well over 1,000 kilometers per day. Intermediate charging during statutory driver breaks makes this possible, provided that charging options are available.
The eActros 600 has three battery packs, each with 207 kWh[2]. These offer an installed total capacity of 621 kWh. The batteries are based on lithium iron phosphate cell technology (LFP) and are characterized by a long service life. The development engineers at Mercedes-Benz Trucks designed the eActros 600 to meet the same requirements for the durability of vehicles and components as a comparable conventional heavy-duty long-haul Actros. This means up to 1.2 million kilometers in ten years of operation. After this period of use, the battery state of health should still be above 80 percent. In contrast to other battery cell technologies, more than 95 percent of the installed capacity can also be used with LFP technology. This facilitates a higher range with the same installed battery capacity. The vehicle is technically designed for a gross combination mass of up to 44 tons. With a standard semitrailer, the eActros 600 has a payload of around 22 tons in the EU. There might be cases in which national law allows higher payloads.
In order to meet even more customer requirements, Mercedes-Benz Trucks recently expanded its battery-electric truck portfolio with additional variants based on the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600. Depending on their requirements in terms of range, payload, and comfort, customers will be able to choose between two cab variants, two or three battery packs, numerous wheelbases, and new axle configurations. The second model generation of the eActros thus offers over 40 variants of the base vehicle. The new vehicle versions feature the key characteristics of the eActros 600, such as LFP battery technology and the specially developed eAxle.
