World premiere of Tatra’s first fully battery-electric truck at e-Salon 2025 in Prague.

Kopřivnice-based automaker Tatra Trucks today unveiled its first fully battery-powered electric truck — the Tatra Force e-Drive BEV 8×8 — in a world premiere during a special ceremony at e-Salon 2025, held at the PVA EXPO exhibition center in Prague. The professional public and visitors can view the new Tatra model in Hall No. 5 of the Letňany exhibition grounds until November 16, when the fair concludes.

Tatra Trucks has been developing vehicles with alternative powertrains for several years under its Tatra Force e-Drive range, and the new electric truck is already the third vehicle in this line. The project received funding under the TAČR TREND program. Tatra collaborated with Devinn, responsible for implementing the high-voltage system, and Eaton, which supplied a special four-speed automated transmission.

The electric truck was presented by Jakub Pončík, Tatra Trucks’ Technical Director, who said: “The Tatra Force e-Drive BEV 8×8 is designed to test the integration of a fully electric powertrain with traction batteries in a heavy-duty truck for mixed on-road and off-road operation — including the most demanding conditions typical of construction and mining industries. That’s why the prototype unveiled today takes the form of a tipper truck, featuring Tatra’s signature backbone chassis with swinging half-axles and all-wheel drive.”

The engineers equipped the electric truck with features that meet the latest EU General Safety Regulation (GSR) standards — including obstacle detection, blind-spot monitoring, speed limit recognition, and tire pressure monitoring. The vehicle features the latest two-door extended Tatra Force cab, equipped with integrated ROPS (Roll Over Protection System) and FOPS (Falling Objects Protection System). A camera system replacing traditional mirrors is also a new addition. Inside, the crew benefits from a digital instrument cluster with onboard displays and LED lighting. The truck’s sleek design was created by industrial designer Lukáš Taneček, a long-time Tatra collaborator and author of the award-winning Tatra Force series design, which received the Red Dot 2024 award.

The powertrain of the 8.6-meter-long and 2.9-meter-tall vehicle includes a Danfoss electric motor delivering a continuous output of 330 kW (up to 550 kW peak) and torque of 2300 Nm (up to 2600 Nm peak). It is powered by 12 traction batteries with a total capacity of 480 kWh, supported by two power electronics coolers and other modules for battery heating and cooling. Due to the demanding conditions the truck is designed for, it features an Eaton EV four-speed automated transmission combined with a Tatra auxiliary gearbox. The range varies between 300 and 400 km, depending on terrain and operating conditions.

The truck uses the third-generation chassis platform of the Tatra Force model line. The first two steerable axles have selectable drive, pneumatic suspension with stabilizers, and axle differentials, each rated for 10 tons. The two rear permanently driven axles support up to 13 tons each, with heavy-duty combined suspension featuring air springs, 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 — suitable for muddy environments. The gross vehicle weight can reach 44 tons, including a 22-ton payload, and the truck can tow trailers up to 18 tons.

“Tatra Force e-Drive BEV 8×8 is another vehicle in the e-Drive series with various alternative propulsion systems that we have introduced since 2023. The first was the Tatra Force e-Drive FCEV 8×6 using hydrogen fuel cells, followed by the Tatra Force e-Drive PHEV 8×8 with a hybrid powertrain combining an electric motor and a Tatra V8 combustion engine. We are now also working on other prototypes with specific practical applications, such as a battery-electric vehicle with an auxiliary combustion engine serving as a range extender, or a vehicle with an electric motor and hydrogen fuel cells for operation in urban areas and for municipal services with automated driving,” explained Radomír Smolka, Member of the Board of Directors of Tatra Trucks responsible for research and development, describing the future of electric or electrified Tatras.