In September 2024, Etraco announced the purchase of 50 electric trucks. The first four Mercedes Eactros 600 were delivered yesterday by Ghistelinck car companies in Rekkem, two months earlier than planned. Eutraco starts with the rollout of the largest fleet of electric trucks in Belgium.
“We do not invest in electric trucks because our customers ask, but because we want to offer them the most sustainable logistics solution. Sustainability cannot entail any extra costs. Thanks to smart choices and technology, we can work both more efficiently and more responsible, without passing on the purchase costs to the customer,” explains CEO Serge Gregoir.
These ‘smart choices’ are made in all domains, in collaboration with Daimler Truck Belgium and Ghistelinck car companies. “The Eactros 600 fits perfectly in our daily activities thanks to its 500 kilometers autonomy,” explains Serge Gregoir. “We have selected routes where electric driving can make the difference today. The electric trucks will be used for regional distribution and regular journeys, whereby approximately 100 kilometers of autonomy is retained in relation to the official autonomy of 500 km. Roeselare, Ghent and Willebroek are currently installed charging points for electric trucks.
In total, EUtraco invests 14 million euros in this project. The financing of the 50 Eactros 600 trucks was made possible by a five-year Eservice Leasing contract with maintenance contract from Daimler Truck Financial Services Belgium. This contract is another example of the ‘smart choices’ made by the different partners: the residual value of the vehicles at the end of the contract is determined on the basis of the combined number of kilometers of the fleet, and not on the basis of the actual number of kilometers of each vehicle. Ghistelinck car companies will be responsible for after sales and technical support.
