This truck driver has driven 200,000 kilometers with electric trucks and now wants to circle the world using only 80 charges

24/09/2026 12:30

Updated to

24/09/2026 12:30

Tobias Wagner doesn’t need to be explained how an electric truck works in the real world. Known on social media as Elektrotrucker, this German professional truck driver has traveled over 200,000 kilometers across Europe driving various battery-powered electric trucks over the past two years. He now wants to take this experience much further.

On September 20th, he set out from Hannover, coinciding with the IAA Transportation event, to attempt completing what Mercedes-Benz Trucks describes as the first round-the-world journey made with a 100% electric heavy truck. The goal is to cover about 45,000 kilometers across around 30 countries and five continents, using fewer than 80 charges.

Over 200,000 km before embarking on his biggest journey

Wagner has been using electric trucks in real working conditions for years, which has allowed him to experience firsthand both their potential and one of the main challenges still faced by electric heavy transport: finding suitable charging stations for large vehicles.

It was this experience that led him, along with his team, to develop eTrucker in 2025—a navigation and charging app specifically designed for electric trucks. The tool helps locate stations compatible with heavy vehicles and plan stops more effectively along a route.

His new journey aims to take that experience to a completely different scale. The route will start by crossing Eastern Europe before continuing through Turkey and Central Asia. It will then pass through China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia before reaching Singapore, before continuing on to Australia and the Americas.

A Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 prepared to last a year

For this expedition, Wagner uses a specially modified Mercedes-Benz eActros 600. The truck is based on a mass-produced model manufactured at the German plant in Wörth and is equipped with a battery with a capacity of over 600 kWh.

Under normal long-distance transportation conditions with a full load, Mercedes-Benz claims around 500 kilometers of range without the need for an intermediate stop to recharge. In this specific case, the vehicle should be able to exceed this figure at certain stages due to the lower weight of the configuration used for the expedition.

The truck also features several modifications specific to the journey, including a spare tire holder with an integrated mobile charging system, individual tires, and additional headlights. It is also equipped with a living module developed by Bliss Mobil that will serve as Wagner’s residence for most of the trip.

45,000 kilometers and fewer than 80 refueling stops

The expedition is expected to last around a year and will pass through areas with highly developed charging infrastructure, as well as regions where heavy electric mobility is still in a much less advanced stage. Part of the goal is to determine exactly how an electric truck performs when it leaves the major European corridors.

For Wagner, this will be the logical next step after covering over 200,000 kilometers with electric trucks in Europe. But this time the challenge will be very different: it won’t just be about using an electric vehicle in daily work, but also demonstrating how far one of the market’s most advanced long-distance electric trucks can go when there are virtually no borders on the route.