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Dresden City Cleaning Services relies on eEconic as a climate-friendly addition to its Econic fleet.

Dresden is an attractive, bustling city. And where many people live, waste is inevitable. Dresden City Cleaning Services has been relying on the Mercedes-Benz Econic as its waste disposal vehicle since 1999. Because large cities also produce CO2 emissions, Dresden has tested the fully electric version in operation. The clear goal that the eEconic can support is to make the entire fleet climate-neutral by 2045 in accordance with the European Union's Clean Vehicles Directive.

Collecting waste and experience.

Mercedes-Benz trucks are anything but unfamiliar to ‘Team Orange’, as Dresden's municipal cleaning service (SRD) calls itself. More than half of the 180 vehicles in the SRD fleet come from Daimler Truck. These include not only three Unimogs, with which the SRD has already gained excellent experience as sewer flushing vehicles, water trucks and in winter service.

Stadtreinigung Dresden GmbH puts its third Unimog into service.

But also more than 60 diesel Econics, which are used for household waste and bulky waste. For several decades, the city cleaning service has relied on the proven concept with panoramic windscreen and low entry, and does not want to do without it in the future. This also applies to the folding door on the passenger side, which allows employees to exit on the side away from traffic without requiring much space. With a view to the European Union's Clean Vehicles Directive, Stadtreinigung Dresden wants to ensure that its entire fleet is CO2-neutral by 2045 – and has therefore put the fully electric eEconic to the test.

Proven quality, new perspective.

SRD Managing Director Alf Schwaten is convinced: ‘The use of environmentally friendly vehicles and alternative drive systems will be an essential component in improving air quality in Dresden and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.’

Based on years of positive experience with the diesel Econic, the choice of a suitable test vehicle was no coincidence, as Sven Gotscha, head of SRD's waste collection department, confirms: ‘The low entry and panoramic view have proven themselves with our employees for many years, which is why we continue to rely on the Econic chassis.’

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Like the diesel Econic, the all-electric eEconic also features a low cab with full standing height thanks to the DirectVision concept. This combines excellent all-round visibility with freedom of movement inside the vehicle.

Sensor-supported assistance systems such as Sideguard Assist 2 or Active Brake Assist 6 can also increase safety in dense urban traffic with the eEconic – for all road users.

The safety assistance systems in the eEconic

In line with the Econic's special focus on urban use, the eEconic features an electric drive with a considerable range that can reliably handle the daily workload of refuse collection operations: thanks to its three battery packs, the eEconic has a range of up to 150 km*.

That is more than enough for a day's work: ‘In some cases, it was possible to complete two days or two routes on a single charge,’ reports Sven Gotscha. Thanks to the fast-charging function, the batteries can also be charged from 20 to 80% in just over an hour at up to 160 kW.

In some cases, it was possible to complete two rounds on a single charge.

Sven Gotscha, Head of the Waste Collection Department, Stadtreinigung Dresden

Enthusiasm in practice.

Team Orange's initial experiences with the eEconic were thoroughly positive: ‘The driving experience is superb, all the drivers were enthusiastic – also about the unusual quietness during refuse collection,’ says Sven Gotscha, reflecting the convinced voices from the refuse collection departments. This newly gained quietness provides noticeable relief, especially in residential areas.

Even though the eEconic features new technology, SRD can stick to the basic principles that have proven themselves with the diesel Econic: ‘We were able to cover the existing routes with the eEconic without any changes,’ explains Sven Gotscha.

With the eEconic trial, the city's waste management department is demonstrating what modern waste disposal in a growing city can look like: quiet, clean – and highly efficient.

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* The range specified is provisional and was determined using an internal simulation tool based on optimal conditions, including three new battery packs after preconditioning in a partially loaded state in inner-city waste collection operations (VECTO Municipal Cycle up to 100 km) or in mixed waste collection operations (combined from 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 is highly dependent on driving behaviour, the application profile and the type of bodywork, among other factors.