Daimler starts production of second electric truck, the eEconic

BERLIN — Daimler Truck has started production of its second electric model, an inner-city waste disposal truck named the eEconic, the company said on Friday, as it seeks to capture market share in Europe’s tiny but growing electric truck market.

The vehicle, based on its current low-entry Econic truck (pictured above) will be produced at the same site as the truck and bus maker’s first electric model, the heavy-duty truck eActros, in Woerth, Rhineland-Palatinate. Earlier this week, Daimler also said it would unveil a LongHaul version of the eActros at the IAA Transportation show in Hanover this September.

The first eEconic trucks will be sold to a Danish waste disposal firm, with further deliveries planned this year, Daimler Truck said. The first handovers of the eActros took place in February of this year.

Like the eActros, the new truck will cost roughly three times its diesel equivalent. Chief executive Martin Daum has said the electric models would cost a driver about the same in the long run due to lower fueling costs.

(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Mark Potter)