Mercedes F1 Expands Electric Truck Use Across European Race Logistics

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team is expanding the use of battery-electric heavy goods vehicles across its European race logistics, deploying the Mercedes-Benz Trucks eActros 600 to all nine European rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

The initiative builds on earlier pilot journeys and marks a broader rollout of electric long-haul transport within the team’s race operations. According to the team, the eActros 600 will travel around 15,000 kilometres over the European leg of the season, including the movement of operational infrastructure such as communications facilities, medical and physiotherapy rooms, and other race support equipment.

The first journey in the expanded programme took the truck from the team’s base in Brackley, Northamptonshire, to Monaco, covering more than 1,600 kilometres. The deployment follows a 2025 pilot in which Mercedes transported its W16 race cars from Brackley to Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix using electric trucking.

Why Logistics Matter in Formula 1’s Climate Footprint

For Formula 1 teams, logistics remains one of the most difficult emissions categories to reduce. A modern F1 season requires the movement of cars, parts, hospitality units, tools, technical equipment and personnel across a global calendar. While the race cars themselves attract much of the public attention, the wider operational footprint of the sport is heavily shaped by freight, aviation, road transport, energy use at factories and temporary infrastructure at race venues.

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS has positioned the eActros 600 rollout as part of its wider Race Team Control Net Zero target for 2030. This footprint covers Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, along with selected Scope 3 categories that the team considers directly controllable. The team has also said it aims to reach net-zero across all scopes by 2040, including harder-to-abate supply chain emissions.

This matters because emissions reductions in elite sport can have a wider signalling effect. Formula 1 teams operate under tight timelines, complex freight schedules and high reliability requirements. If lower-emission freight solutions can be integrated into that environment, it may support wider confidence in electric heavy-duty transport for other sectors.

The Role of the eActros 600

The eActros 600 is designed for long-distance road freight and is equipped with three lithium iron phosphate battery packs with a total installed capacity of around 621 kWh. Mercedes-Benz Trucks states that the vehicle can achieve a range of up to 500 kilometres without recharging, depending on configuration and operating conditions.

The truck supports CCS2 charging at up to 400 kW, while future megawatt charging is expected to enable shorter charging stops once infrastructure and standards mature. For operators, this means route planning remains central. Electric trucks can be highly effective on predictable routes, but they require reliable access to charging infrastructure, enough dwell time for recharging and careful coordination between drivers, depots and logistics teams.

The use of lithium iron phosphate batteries is relevant from a sustainability perspective because the chemistry avoids nickel and cobalt, two materials associated with supply chain, cost and social risk concerns in battery production. However, electric trucks still carry an embedded carbon impact from manufacturing, particularly battery cell production. Their overall climate benefit depends on vehicle utilization, electricity source, route planning, load factor and charging infrastructure.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks says the eActros 600 can offset its higher production-phase emissions compared with a comparable diesel truck after just over 83,000 kilometres when charged using renewable electricity, based on its assumptions. This makes high-mileage, planned routes especially important for the business case and climate case of heavy-duty electric trucks.

Building on HVO and SAF Measures

For Mercedes F1, the electric truck rollout complements other logistics measures already underway. The team has used HVO100 biofuel across much of its European truck fleet, reporting 98% coverage across race and marketing trucks during the 2024 European season. That programme was supported by PETRONAS and delivered reported savings of more than 449 tCO2e.

The team also reported full generator coverage with HVO100 in 2024, saving a further 61 tCO2e. HVO100, or hydrotreated vegetable oil, can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional diesel when produced from eligible waste-based or renewable feedstocks. However, its sustainability depends on feedstock origin, certification, land-use risks and supply availability.

Aviation remains another major challenge for global motorsport. Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS has used Sustainable Aviation Fuel certificates to address part of its aviation-related emissions, reporting that 68% of aviation emissions were covered by SAF certificates in 2024, with claimed savings of 9,860 tCO2e.

These measures do not remove the operational challenge of a global race calendar, but they show how teams are testing multiple decarbonization options across different parts of the logistics system. In practice, motorsport decarbonization is unlikely to come from one technology alone. It will require a combination of electrification, lower-carbon fuels, more efficient freight planning, renewable electricity, circular material use and supplier engagement.

Formula 1’s Wider Net-Zero Context

The broader Formula 1 context is also important. F1 has a sport-wide target to reach net-zero by 2030 and reported a 26% reduction in its carbon footprint by the end of 2024 compared with its 2018 baseline. That progress has been achieved while the race calendar, fan attendance and global audience have grown, placing additional pressure on freight, travel and event operations.

The sport’s sustainability strategy includes logistics optimization, renewable energy at events, reduced freight volumes, lower-carbon fuels and changes to how teams and suppliers operate. The 2026 season will also introduce new power unit regulations, with cars expected to run on 100% advanced sustainable fuel and a greater share of electrical power. While these technical changes are separate from road freight logistics, they form part of the same broader shift toward lower-carbon operations across the sport.

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS is one of several teams trying to link competitive operations with sustainability targets. The practical challenge is to ensure that emissions reductions are measurable, independently verified where possible and not limited to symbolic deployments. For stakeholders, the important question is not only whether an electric truck appears at a race, but how many diesel kilometres it replaces, what electricity is used to charge it and whether the model can be scaled.

Practical Lessons for Transport and Industry

The Mercedes deployment is significant beyond one team’s sustainability reporting. It provides a practical test case for whether battery-electric trucks can support high-pressure, time-sensitive logistics where reliability, route planning and charging access are critical.

Motorsport logistics operate with strict deadlines, complex equipment needs and little tolerance for delay. If electric trucks can perform in that environment, the lessons may be relevant for other sectors with scheduled long-distance transport, including retail, manufacturing, events and high-value engineering supply chains.

The rollout also points to the importance of infrastructure. Long-haul electric trucking depends not only on vehicle range, but on the availability of high-power charging along corridors, at depots and near operating hubs. For companies considering fleet electrification, the Mercedes example underlines the need to match vehicle capability with predictable routes, charging windows, grid access and operational data.

Fleet managers also need to assess total cost of ownership. Battery-electric trucks can offer lower energy and maintenance costs in some operating conditions, but upfront vehicle costs, charger installation, grid upgrades and operational complexity remain barriers. Early deployments by high-profile organizations can help build operational knowledge, but wider adoption will depend on infrastructure investment, policy support and vehicle availability.

A Small but Concrete Step in Freight Decarbonization

There are limits to what this initiative can achieve on its own. One electric truck will not eliminate the emissions footprint of an F1 team, and road freight is only one part of the sport’s global environmental impact. The emissions benefit will also depend on how the truck is charged and how consistently it replaces diesel journeys rather than adding capacity.

Still, the programme represents a concrete operational shift rather than a distant target. Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1’s use of the eActros 600 across the European race calendar shows how electric trucks can be integrated into demanding logistics networks when routes are planned, infrastructure is available, and emissions reduction is linked to operational decision-making.

For sustainability and logistics leaders, the key takeaway is that heavy-duty transport decarbonization is moving from pilot projects to real-world deployment. The European race programme will provide another data point for how electric freight can perform under demanding commercial conditions, and where further investment is needed to make lower-emission logistics scalable.

Source: sustainabilitymag.com