Direct Vision for Vision Zero: The
eEconic meets the latest safety standards.

No problem for the eEconic: The Direct Vision Standard (DVS) has been in force in London since 2021. Only trucks with good all-round visibility are allowed on the road in the British capital. The aim is to make road traffic much safer for all road users until serious traffic accidents are finally a thing of the past. London is not alone with its "Vision Zero": this is because the DVS is also part of two important safety directives that will soon apply to all newly produced trucks in the European Union. The eEconic is therefore well on its way to meeting three important safety standards in one go. 

The capital of the United Kingdom is looking very closely at visibility: since March 2021, trucks over 12 t wanting to use roads in the Greater London area have been required to comply with the Direct Vision Standard (DVS). Otherwise, fines will apply.

But not with the eEconic. It easily meets the London standard.

In the DVS evaluation, the vehicles are awarded zero to five stars. Drivers of trucks that have not been awarded stars pay fines. From October 2024 vehicles in London and the surrounding area must have been awarded at least three stars.

With the DVS programme, Transport for London (TfL) is implementing a campaign aimed at improving the safety of all road users – whether it's pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists. It goes back to London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Vision Zero Plan. According to this, all fatalities and serious injuries on the London transport network must be a thing of the past by 2041. Daimler Truck also puts emphasis on Vision Zero in its mission statement.

Vision Zero as the Daimler Truck mission statement

Econic: A well-known star rises again.

The diesel-powered Econic was already able to shine as a reference vehicle before the official introduction of London's DVS. And that’s not without reason, because the fuel-powered Econic is built so that its drivers can easily keep an eye on the surroundings – and this can protect or save lives when push comes to shove.

Thanks to its particularly low seating position, the DirectVision cab contributes to a very ample all-round visibility, which helps drivers to better assess their vehicles' movements and those of other road users in hectic urban everyday life. In addition, there is the generous driver’s door, the fully glazed folding door on the passenger side, panoramic glazing on the windscreen and side windows as well as the mirror and camera system to reduce blind spots.  

This is why the diesel-powered Econic already scored a full five stars in the DVS rating in 2018.

Econic ahead of its time in London

Optimal visibility – optimally calculated.

René Roels, team member in cab development for the Econic and Unimog, has verified for Daimler Truck to which extent the all-electric variant of the disposal and logistics professional, the eEconic, also meets the strict London criteria.

"The driver’s field of vision is calculated as an optical volume," explains the trained mechanical engineer about determining DVS values. "You add up the volumes of individual fields of vision that are limited by the windscreen, A-pillar or cockpit, for example." In the case of the eEconic, this results in a total of 15 to 18 spaces with a total visibility volume of 21.1 m³ for the folding door and 17.6 m³ for the hinged door. In both cases, this is a top performance, explains René Roels enthusiastically. Because "17.86 m³ already meets the criteria to score five stars."

More about the Direct Vision concept for the eEconic

Tested in the toughest conditions.

René Roels always started with the most demanding case, as he reports. He specifically checked the special equipment that restricts the field of vision to a greater extent, for example in the case of larger tyres. In the eEconic with hinged door, the blind spot camera system restricts the unobstructed field of vision most, albeit in favour of a larger field of vision.  

"If I test the most demanding case and it's already good, then I don't have to change much," the engineer explains. "If we had not been able to comply with the standard, one thing would have been clear: we have to go back to the drawing board." But this was not the case with the eEconic.

Autors of GSR and ECE thrilled.

Renowned Loughborough University is responsible for the DVS assessment in the UK. The so-called ECE directives were also developed there together with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). According to the directives, all newly built trucks from 2026 and all other trucks from 2029 must meet the Direct Vision standard. More than 29 countries, including all EU member states and Japan, have passed corresponding laws.

London's transport operator TfL has also successfully campaigned for the Direct Vision Standard to be incorporated into the EU’s General Safety Regulation (GSR). While the first GSR laws will come into force in as early as July 2024, the requirement for direct visibility will only become mandatory from 2029. 

The response of the British auditors to the eEconic speaks for itself: "one of the best vehicles they’ve ever tested in the UK," says René Roels of the excellent rating from Loughborough.       

However, the eEconic has not only conquered London with its exceptionally good all-round visibility. By fulfilling the DVS standard, it shows that it already meets the strictest safety requirements that will be imposed on all truck owners in Europe in the coming years – both in the form of the General Safety Regulation and the ECE directives. As part of these, the eEconic must also meet the highest standards in order to obtain the "1A" rating, which means it has permission to travel between, but also within city limits.

No problem for the eEconic, as this vehicle has much more to offer than optimum driver visibility. At the same time, the eEconic has a whole range of advanced and sophisticated safety assistance systems that will ensure that it remains firmly among the safest in the future.