E.ON held its first-ever eTruckathon in collaboration with IAA TRANSPORTATION, demonstrating the use of fuel cell and electric vehicles as well as the infrastructure required for hydrogen and charging. For the first time, leading automakers, shipping firms, and E.ON’s e-mobility specialists came together for a long-distance test from Essen to Hanover.
Teams from well-known corporations like as Daimler Truck, DB Schenker, DHL, Hyundai, MAN, and Renault were among the participants. The demonstration started in the Drive TestingLab of E.ON in Essen, where electromobility charging solutions are developed. The 300-kilometer trip put the vehicles through their paces on both rural and interstate roadways. The trucks were capable of covering the entire distance, but planned breaks for charging were included to demonstrate how useful charging infrastructure is. The trip came to an end at the Hanover IAA exposition grounds.
Marc Spieker, Chief Operating Officer at E.ON, explained, “With the eTruckathon, we are bringing together the leading players in the industry and providing a practical insight into the current possibilities of environmentally friendly heavy goods transport. In many areas, electric and hydrogen trucks are already suitable for everyday use. The technologies are available. In the coming years, it will be a matter of bringing them into widespread and affordable use. On the industry side, we are not waiting for this future, we are simply implementing it.”