Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 Conquers Gruelling Arctic eNordkapp Challenge

The Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 has etched its name into electric trucking history by becoming the first battery-electric semi-trailer truck to complete the gruelling eNordkapp Challenge. Covering nearly 8,000 km from Germany to the North Cape in Arctic Norway, the expedition pushed both machine and crew to the edge in temperatures plunging to minus 41°C.

The truck was supplied by Austrian logistics firm VEGA International and driven by Herbert and Silvia Salentinig over ten demanding days. Starting in northern Germany, the route ran through Denmark and central Sweden, following the Inlandsvägen highway before reaching the North Cape—Europe’s northernmost point accessible by road.

True to real-world conditions, the eActros 600 wasn’t running light. It hauled a transport semi-trailer carrying a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, bringing the combined gross vehicle weight to 32.5 tonnes, the same configuration VEGA uses in daily operations. Impressively, Mercedes-Benz Trucks confirmed the eActros 600 remained almost entirely stock throughout the challenge, with the only change being specialised tyres to handle extreme winter conditions.

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Charging in the Arctic, however, proved to be part of the adventure. The team faced practical hurdles such as unhitching the trailer to access charging points, dealing with short charging cables, and even frozen card readers at stations along the way.

Despite the obstacles, the eActros 600 completed the journey, offering a powerful real-world demonstration of battery-electric long-haul trucking in some of the harshest conditions on the planet.