Mercedes-Benz Trucks delivers first factory‑integrated PTO electric tipper trucks to AVG Köln

Mercedes‑Benz Trucks supplied three second‑generation eActros 400 electric tipper tractors to the waste‑management operator AVG Köln. The trucks are the first in the brand’s range equipped from the factory with a mechanical power take‑off (mPTO), allowing the hydraulic tipper bodies to be driven directly without aftermarket conversion.

The vehicles are deployed under the BELLA project (Battery‑Electric Emission‑Free Truck Logistics for Incinerator Bottom Ash), transporting incinerator bottom ash between Cologne’s waste‑to‑energy plant and nearby processing sites. Each truck carries two 207 kWh lithium‑iron‑phosphate battery packs (total 414 kWh) and replaces conventional diesel‑powered tipper trucks.

Installation of the hydraulic system and steel tipper trailers is performed by Erkes Nutzfahrzeuge, with trailer frames supplied by Schwarzmüller. Simultaneously, AVG Köln is building a 3,000 m² charging hub with nine commercial‑vehicle charging stations powered by the plant’s own electricity. Christian Wilz, CEO of Mercedes‑Benz Trucks Germany, highlighted the delivery as a step toward emission‑free transport in the waste‑and‑recycling sector.