World Premiere of Tatra’s First Fully Battery-Electric Truck
Car manufacturer Tatra Trucks unveiled its first fully battery-powered electric truck, the Tatra Force e-Drive BEV 8x8, in a world premiere. The unveiling took place during a ceremony at the e-Salon 2025 trade fair, which is currently being held at the PVA EXPO exhibition center in Prague. The new product from Kopřivnice can be viewed by professionals and visitors in Hall 5 of the Letňany Exhibition Center until November 16, when the fair ends.
Tatra Trucks has been developing vehicles with alternative drive systems for several years as part of the Tatra Force e-Drive series, and the new electric vehicle is already the third vehicle in this series that Tatra has built. The carmaker received subsidies for the project as part of the TAČR TREND project. The carmaker collaborated on the new model with Devinn, which was responsible for implementing the high-voltage system, and with Eaton, which supplied a special four-speed automated transmission. The electric vehicle was presented during the ceremony by Jakub Pončík, Technical Director of Tatra Trucks, who said, among other things: "The Tatra Force e-Drive BEV 8x8 is designed to test the installation of a fully electric drive system with traction batteries in a truck for mixed operation on roads and in the most difficult terrain, which is typical, for example, in the construction or mining industries. That is why we chose a tipper design for the prototype presented today, with a typical Tatra chassis with a central load-bearing route and swing semi-axles, plus all-wheel drive."
The designers have equipped the electric vehicle with features that comply with the latest European legislation under the General Safety Regulation, such as an obstacle warning system, blind spot monitoring, a system that informs the driver of the maximum speed allowed in a given location, and tire pressure monitoring. The electric vehicle has the latest two-door Tatra Force cab in an extended version with integrated ROPS (Roll Over Protection System) and FOPS (Falling Objects Protection System). Another new feature is the camera system located on the cab, which replaces the rearview mirrors. Inside, the crew has an electronic dashboard with on-board displays and LED lighting. The elegant design of the vehicle is the work of industrial designer Lukáš Taneček, who has been working with Tatra for many years and is also the designer of the Tatra Force model series, which won the Red Dot 2024 award.
The drive system of the 8.6 m long and 2.9 m high vehicle includes a Danfoss electric motor with a continuous output of 330 kW (maximum output can reach up to 550 kW) and torque of 2300 Nm (maximum value can reach up to 2600 Nm), as well as 12 traction batteries with a total capacity of 480 kWh, two power electronics coolers, and other electronic modules that serve to both heat and cool the batteries. Given the diverse conditions and nature of the operation for which it is intended, the new Tatra Force e-Drive BEV 8x8 electric vehicle also features an automated four-speed Eaton EV transmission and an additional Tatra transmission. The vehicle's range is 300 to 400 km, depending on the terrain and how it is used.
The vehicle uses the third-generation chassis platform of the Tatra Force model series. The first two steered axles have a connectable drive, pneumatic suspension with stabilizer and axle differentials, with a load capacity of 10 tons each. The rear two permanently driven axles have a load capacity of up to 13 tons each, heavy combined suspension with air bellows, and are equipped with axle differentials and an inter-axle differential. The chassis is equipped with an electronic braking system (EBS) with a load sensor and drum brakes on all wheels, which are suitable for operation in muddy environments, for example. The total maximum weight of the electric vehicle can be 44 tons, of which 22 tons is the maximum payload, and it can also tow a trailer weighing 18 tons.
The Tatra Force e-Drive BEV 8x8 is another vehicle in the e-Drive series with various alternative drive systems that we have introduced since 2023. The first was the Tatra Force e-Drive FCEV 8x6 using hydrogen fuel cells, followed by the Tatra Force e-Drive PHEV 8x8 with a hybrid powertrain combining an electric motor and a Tatra eight-cylinder combustion engine. We are now working on other prototypes with specific practical applications, such as a battery-powered electric vehicle with an auxiliary combustion engine as a range extender, or a vehicle with an electric motor and hydrogen fuel cells for operation in urban agglomerations and for municipal services with automated control," said Radomír Smolka, member of the Tatra Trucks board of directors responsible for research and development, describing the future of the development of electric or electrified Tatra trucks.
