The team led by the 35‑year‑old trial engineer tested the two trucks for performance and durability – and all the time the eActros towed the maximum load so that the GVW totalled 27 tonnes.

“South Tyrol with its steep ascents and descents provides the optimum topography for our tests,” says Oesterle, who together with his colleagues was able to call on the full drive output of the two electric trucks. Downhill, the team tested the handling with maximum recuperation.

The region also provided ideal conditions for driving at very high temperatures – occasionally on city trips the thermometer went above 40 degrees Celsius.

In the course of the test period the two electric trucks covered a total of 54,000 metres of altitude. The trucks reached the highest point on the test drives at the Kaunertal glacier – 2,750 metres above sea level. “You can really say that the eActros coped with these conditions superbly,” says Oesterle happily.

On the journey from Germany through Austria to Italy, the batteries of the two three‑axle trucks designed for heavy‑duty distribution haulage were charged exclusively at public charging stations. “In Austria and in South Tyrol too, we discovered a highly developed charging infrastructure,” says Oesterle. The charging breaks were also a good opportunity to get talking to other travellers with electric vehicles. Often, people were first astounded, then thrilled. “Most of them were surprised to encounter a truck at a charging station.”

On the homeward journey, the test team then produced a genuine masterpiece on the asphalt: “In less than ten hours from Bolzano to the Black Forest, that's a real haulage achievement.” That's not the only reason that Oesterle is convinced: “I have every faith in the eActros. It's our truck for a new era.”