124.7 KM Backwards? Watch Mercedes’ eTruck Shatter the Record

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has done something bold and unexpected—by going backwards. Literally. The company has just set a new Guinness World Records title using its all-electric eActros 600 long-haul truck by reversing a full 124.7 kilometers with a semitrailer. That distance smashes the previous world record of 89 kilometers, which had been held since 2020 by a diesel truck in the United States.

The entire feat took place at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Over the course of 6 hours and 22 minutes, the eActros 600 navigated the circuit’s 14 tight curves—designed more for race cars than for freight haulers—without needing to stop. Maintaining an average speed of 20 kilometers per hour, the electric truck managed a complex and physically demanding task that few would attempt, let alone complete.

But Mercedes-Benz Trucks is not stopping there. Later this evening, the eActros 600 is scheduled to travel an additional 30 kilometers in reverse, this time on public roads. The destination? The Daimler Truck Global Parts Center in Halberstadt, a facility that is set to officially open on July 10. This additional journey is not about records—it is about purpose. The brand wants to highlight broader issues in the trucking industry, including electrification, road safety, and the public image of truck drivers.

Leading the charge, quite literally in reverse, is Marco Hellgrewe, a 50-year-old military officer and truck enthusiast from near Berlin. He was behind the wheel during the entire record-breaking run and plans to handle the road portion as well, supported by a police escort. Marco is no stranger to setting records in reverse—his first was back in 2008, when he covered 64 kilometers in a diesel truck.