Mercedes eActros vs Reality: Only 23 Electric Trucks Sold in Spain in 2026

Electric trucks: only 23 registered, 32% fewer, but Mercedes insists

In Barcelona, a Mercedes tractor driver with a tipper must stop for an hour at noon to recharge or risk running out of power before finishing the day. In Germany, an identical vehicle covers 600 km daily and proves profitable thanks to toll exemptions for zero-emission vehicles. Two sides of the same coin illustrating the state of electric trucks in 2026: they exist, they work in niches, but the market receives them with skepticism that the data confirms.

The numbers that cool enthusiasm

In the first four months of 2026, only 23 heavy electric trucks were registered in Spain, 32% fewer than in the same period of 2025, according to industry association data collected by Ruta del Transporte. The trend is not optimistic: while manufacturers present prototypes and antiestéticasibility studies, sales are declining. The main argument from skeptics is real range. A long-distance diesel truck can travel between 3,500 and 4,000 km on a single tank (tanks reaching 1,400 liters), representing a week of work without refueling. In contrast, an electric truck like the Mercedes eActros offers about 500 km under optimal conditions, but on routes with slopes or full loads, the figure drops drastically. Climbing the Guadarrama pass with 40 tons is, according to some drivers, a test the battery cannot pass.

The problem is not just distance: recharge times are incompatible with operations. While filling a diesel tank takes 15 minutes, an electric truck needs between two and four hours at a fast 500 kW charger, and such power is still scarce on roads. Those defending the technology point out that 500 kW direct current chargers already exist, but the network is far from being comprehensive.

The economics of electric: free tolls, but expensive charging

The success case promoted by Mercedes is that of a German operator who covers 600 km daily with his eActros and achieves significant savings thanks to toll exemptions for zero-emission vehicles in Germany. The problem, critics point out, is that this advantage dissipates when the truck cannot recharge at its base on weekends and must use paid superchargers, whose cost per kWh equals or exceeds that of diesel. Furthermore, the weight of the batteries reduces payload: an electric trailer can carry up to 700 kg less freight than a diesel one, which weighs more in the transport business than any subsidy.

A sector that does not trust the green narrative

The debate transcends the technical and touches the ideological. Some argue that heavy transport electrification is a regulatory imposition that ignores the daily reality of the trucker: schedules, costs, infrastructure. Others believe that technology will improve exponentially and that vehicles bought today will be obsolete in ten years, exactly the opposite of diesels, which hardly depreciate because their technology is stagnant. The comparison with urban electric cars is misleading: a route truck is a completely different animal.

With only 23 registrations so far this year and a downward trend, the electric truck is far from being the future of road transport in Spain. While Mercedes demonstrates its viability under very specific conditions – flat routes, light loads, free tolls – the long-haul fleet still sees the plug as a mortgage, not a solution. With 400 *VonderLeyens* of regulatory power, maybe one day those 600 daily kilometers will be charged. Or not.