More power for Denmark: eEconic as a custom solution with an extended range.

The Amager Resource Centre (ARC), a Danish waste management and energy generation company, relies on the eEconic not only for a CO₂e-free powertrain in urban environments but also for power and endurance. When emptying low-floor glass recycling containers, the Danish waste management company relies on a total of eight fully electric Mercedes-Benz trucks. To generate even more range and power for the auxiliary drive of the loading crane, the conversion experts at Mercedes-Benz Custom Tailored Trucks have equipped the electric truck with an additional fourth battery pack. The result: the eEconic 400.

Fits perfectly.

The Amager Resource Centre (ARC) helps keep Copenhagen clean: In the five municipalities of the capital Dragør, Frederiksberg, Hvidovre, Copenhagen, and Tårnby the waste management company handles waste disposal and supplies approximately 140,000 households with heat and electricity.

The focus is on the environmentally sound disposal of yard waste, used construction materials, and hazardous waste, which are dropped off by nearly one million customers annually. The product portfolio of the locally CO2e-free eEconic fits perfectly with this environmentally conscious and climate-friendly disposal approach that the ARC has set as its goal.

Real powerhouse.

You can go skiing on the roof of this waste-to-energy plant: Amager Bakke is considered one of the most modern waste-to-energy facilities in Europe. It is operated by the Amager Resource Centre (ARC), which converts waste from the Copenhagen metropolitan area into district heating and electricity and operates several recycling stations. With its ski slope, hiking trails, and 85-meter-high climbing wall, the power plant also symbolizes the unique connection between energy supply, urban development, and environmental awareness.

Modernes Gebäude mit einer gewellten Fassade, umgeben von Rasenflächen. Im Hintergrund ist ein Schornstein sichtbar, aus dem Rauch aufsteigt. Standort ist anscheinend eine Sport- oder Freizeitstätte. — © Press/CopenHill.

Customer is king.

An important part of day-to-day waste management at ARC involves the daily emptying of underground containers (including those for waste glass) and the collection of garden waste – tasks that place particularly high demands on the performance of the vehicles, which are equipped with a crane and hook-lift system for these purposes. To meet the increased energy requirements and reliably carry out this demanding task, large battery capacities are required.

The eEconic 300 delivers an impressive output of up to 400 kW right from the factory, thanks to three lithium-ion battery packs and an installed battery capacity of 336 kWh1. This enables the truck, which is CO₂e-free during operation, to achieve a range of up to 150 km2—more than enough for a typical route in everyday waste management operations.

But ARC needed something more for the technically demanding task of emptying underground containers using a loading crane and garden waste using a hook-lift system. And so Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks pulled out all the stops when ARC enquired about fully electric eEconic vehicles for this specific application.

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Custom-made suits for trucks.

For 25 years now, the engineers and mechanics at Mercedes-Benz Custom Tailored Trucks (CTT) have specialized in providing customized solutions for customers that cannot be met through standard mass production. Moritz Burger, Head of Workshops and Special Processes, describes his work as the creation of “tailor-made suits in the form of trucks.”

25 Years of CTT: Transformation Rooted in Tradition.

While colleagues in Molsheim, Alsace, primarily modify vehicles from the A-series, the Wörth site’s Future Truck Center handled the electrification and installation of the fourth battery pack for the eight eEconic 400s belonging to the Danish waste management company ARC.

The CTT team had prepared the necessary special components in advance so that the vehicles could be manufactured on the assembly line alongside the regular production models. But the eEconics weren’t finished yet.

Ein Lkw-Chassis steht in einer modernen Fabrikhalle. Der Lkw ist grün lackiert und hat keine Aufbauten. Im Hintergrund sind Fertigungsmaschinen und -anlagen sichtbar, die für die Montage genutzt werden. Die hohe Decke und das industrielle Ambiente sind erkennbar.

Make way for power.

With the fourth battery pack, the engineers at CTT have boosted the eEconic to peak performance levels of 400 kWh of battery capacity and 448 kW of power, explains Eric Schuler from the CTT development department for Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks.

This translates to an additional range of 50 km and significantly more power for the mechanical power take-off, that powers the remote-controlled Hiab eX.192 HiPro loading crane.

Among the special features of the eEconic 400 are the 9-ton front axle and the wheelbase extended to 5,200 mm—because in order for the fourth battery and the crane outriggers to fit optimally into the eEconic’s chassis, the entire battery layout had to be moved back by 300 mm.

Final touches at the Future Truck Center.

To install the additional battery pack, the freshly painted but not yet roadworthy eEconic was transported into the Future Truck Center’s factory hall using a tow truck. There, it underwent the necessary modifications: Among other things, the team led by workshop foreman André Weichelt installed the charging unit, secured the battery packs, and routed the high-voltage cables. After successful final tests, the eEconic was finally ready for its first drive.

Ein Arbeiter trägt schwarze Handschuhe und arbeitet an einem technischen Gerät, das mit orangefarbenen Kabeln verbunden ist. Die Szene zeigt Nahaufnahmen von Händen, die eine Komponente montieren oder überprüfen.

Drei Personen arbeiten in einer modernen Werkstatt an einem Fahrzeugchassis. Zwei Mitarbeiter installieren elektrische Komponenten, während ein dritter in der Nähe steht und supervisiert. Die Umgebung zeigt technische Ausrüstung und Biite, die für die Montage verwendet wird.

Ein Mechaniker trägt schwarze Handschuhe und arbeitet an einem Batteriemodul. Er zieht eine Verbindung an, während orangefarbene Kabel im Hintergrund sichtbar sind. Die Umgebung deutet auf eine technische Werkstatt hin.

Alt-Text: Nahaufnahme des Rahmens eines Fahrzeugs mit bissfelderen Tanks und einer Komponente auf dem Unterboden in einer Werkstatt. Die Umgebung ist gut beleuchtet und zeigt mehrere Werkstattgeräte im Hintergrund.

Ein Lkw mit sichtbar ausgelegter Technik steht in einer modernen Produktionshalle. Die Rückansicht zeigt verschiedene Komponenten, darunter Tankstellen und Kabel, auf einer offenen Fahrgestellbauweise. Umgebende Produktionsanlagen sind angedeutet, jedoch nicht im Fokus.

On the safe side.

„The customer deliberately chose the eEconic because of its significant advantages in urban traffic“, emphasizes Eric Schuler: It is no coincidence that the large panoramic windshield, with its excellent all-around visibility, meets demanding standards such as London’s Direct Vision Standard.

The Econic in London.

The low-entry driver's cab, featuring a two-step entry and an inward-opening folding door on the side facing away from traffic, also helps ensure faster and smoother workflows—even when things get hectic during a typical day of urban waste collection.

Thanks to its comprehensive safety concept featuring numerous driver assistance systems, the eEconic can help enhance the safety of other road users.

The safety assistance systems in the Econic.

¹ The rated capacity of a new battery, based on internally defined parameters. This may vary depending on the specific application and environmental conditions.

² The stated range is preliminary and was determined using an internal simulation tool under optimal conditions, including 3 new battery packs after preconditioning in a partially charged state during inner-city waste collection operations (VECTO Municipal Cycle up to 100 km) or mixed waste collection operations (combining the VECTO Municipal Cycle, VECTO Regional Delivery, and VECTO Urban Delivery Cycle up to 150 km) at an outside temperature of 20 °C, and may differ from the values determined in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/2400. The actual range depends heavily on driving behavior, the operational profile, and the type of bodywork, among other factors.