Electric Truck: Circumnavigating the World in 80 Trips with the eActros
Electric truck driver Tobias Wagner plans to drive 45,000 kilometers across 30 countries in about a year using a modified Mercedes-Benz eActros 600. He intends to make up to 80 trips, and for emergencies, he has a portable Alpitronic charging station on board.
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The truck driver and YouTuber Tobias Wagner, known as “Elektrotrucker,” will set off on a round-the-world journey in a battery-electric truck on Sunday, September 20, 2026. The departure is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Mercedes-Benz Trucks booth in Halls 19/20 at the IAA Transportation in Hannover. His vehicle is a Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 modified into an expedition vehicle. According to Daimler Truck, this would be the first time a battery-electric long-haul truck has completed a circumnavigation of the Earth.
The planned route spans around 45,000 kilometers through approximately 30 countries on five continents. The journey is expected to take about a year and can rely on no more than 80 charging stops—a reference to Jules Verne’s classic novel, which is also reflected in the project name “Around the World in 80 Charges.” In addition to documenting the vehicle’s use in everyday life, the tour aims to show where charging heavy commercial vehicles already works well and where challenges remain.
Route across Five Continents
The first leg starts from Hanover and passes through Czechia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria to reach Turkey. Travel is planned to continue through Central and East Asia starting in mid-October. The route includes countries such as Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and China, followed by Laos, Thailand, and Malaysia leading to Singapore. Additional sections are planned in Australia, the USA, and several Latin American countries.
The route plan is explicitly not final yet and may change as planning progresses. In Central Asia in particular, finding locations where a truck with a battery capacity of over 600 kWh can be charged is likely to account for a large portion of the preparation work. For sea crossings between continents, DHL will handle the shipping of the vehicle. The logistics company also plans to deliver spare parts along the route via package. Additionally, Wagner can rely on Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ international network of dealers and service centers.
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From a standard truck to an expedition vehicle
The base vehicle is a standard eActros 600 built at the Wörth am Rhein factory in the 4×2 truck chassis configuration. It was modified in several areas for this journey: it was equipped with individual tires, two spare tire holders, and additional headlights integrated into the windshield wipers. On the trailer is a custom living module developed by manufacturer Bliss Mobil, which serves as accommodation for the driver.
The eActros 600 has been in series production since late 2024 and was named “International Truck of the Year 2025.” Mercedes-Benz Trucks had previously tested the model over a distance of about 15,000 kilometers across 22 European countries, as well as on a winter tour covering roughly 6,500 kilometers through Northern Europe — in both cases with a total towing weight of 40 tons.
Battery, Range, and Charging Capacity
The truck is powered by a self-developed electric drive shaft. The energy comes from three battery packs, each with 207 kWh, resulting in a total installed capacity of 621 kWh. Lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) cells are used, and according to the manufacturer, over 95 percent of their capacity is usable.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks claims a range of 500 kilometers for this tractor unit with a total towing weight of 40 tons, measured at an outdoor temperature of 20 degrees. In the most fuel-efficient configuration, a range of up to 560 kilometers is said to be possible. However, these figures can only be applied partially to this expedition vehicle: Wagner operates without a trailer but with an accommodation unit, and on routes with highly varied terrain and weather conditions.
Charging is done via CCS at up to 400 kW. For areas without suitable fast charging stations, Wagner has installed a mobile DC charging unit from Alpitronic on board. It converts alternating current from standard high-voltage connections, enabling charging at up to 43 kW. For a battery of this size, this means a driving range of well over ten hours for a full charge – although it serves as a backup solution in regions lacking fast charging points, the unit is an important component of the concept.
The driver behind the project
Tobias Wagner is 33 years old and comes from Mühldorf am Inn. Before working as a professional truck driver, he was involved in establishing charging facilities for cars as a founder. Since 2024, he has been driving full-time for the Lower Saxony-based logistics company Nanno Janssen in electric vehicles across various European countries, sharing his experiences on YouTube. He also plans to regularly report on his world tour and meet customers, drivers, and industry representatives along the way.
According to him, he wants to find out how far electric long-distance transportation has actually progressed — and expects to encounter regions where it already works well as well as those where the technology is hitting its limits.
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