SuperPanther eTopas 600: Partners test the electric lorry at Wilken in Melle

The appointment made the Cooperation agreement between SuperPanther and Alltrucks accessible to the participating workshops on the vehicle itself. The eTopas 600 was parked in the yard, with a loaded tipper trailer from Wilken Transport. This allowed the participants to familiarise themselves with the articulated lorry under load on the road.

Thanks to the support of Christian Wilken, the participants were able to put the truck through its paces on the road. Janine Alflen and Andreas Gläser from Michels KFZ-Werkstätte in Hahn am See took part. Werner Brüning and Michael Hanje from Werner Brüning GmbH in Ahlhorn also put the eTopas through its paces.

Michels has been an Alltrucks partner for ten years and celebrated the anniversary in September at the IAA in Hanover. The family-run business is shown by the A look at Michels’ workshop.

Anyone who has driven an electric lorry under load themselves will be better able to assess the driver’s descriptions during vehicle handover and ask more specific questions.

The eTopas 600 from „SuperPanther by Steyr“ is the result of a Sino-Austrian joint venture. The vehicle is manufactured in Steyr exclusively for the European market.

A battery-electric heavy-duty lorry is a commercial vehicle whose electric motor draws power from a traction battery. During deceleration, the drive system can convert kinetic energy back into electrical energy and store it. This energy recovery affects energy consumption during operation. For garages, therefore, the battery, charging technology and the interaction between the electric drive and the braking system are all part of vehicle maintenance.

According to the product specifications, the range is over 500 kilometres and can be further increased through intelligent energy recovery. Added to this are a dual charging system with charging on both sides at over 400 kW and a kerb weight of 10.8 tonnes. Thanks to the charging ports on both sides, the driver can approach the charging point from either the left or the right. The unladen weight of the tractor unit has a direct impact on the payload remaining in the articulated lorry.

A vehicle’s range is influenced by a combination of load, route profile, speed and outside temperature. These interrelationships form part of the technical background in the Guide to Electric Lorries. You should therefore record the customer’s route and loading conditions for the collection.

The available charging power also depends on the vehicle and the charging point being used. Battery temperature and state of charge also affect how the charging process proceeds. When Investment planning for electric mobility You should therefore ensure that the power supply at your site is compatible with the vehicles provided.

SuperPanther and Alltrucks signed their agreement on 29 September 2025 in Munich. Through this partnership, SuperPanther gains access to Alltrucks’ European network of workshops for commercial vehicle services. For the manufacturer, ensuring high vehicle availability for its customers is a key priority. From the very first day of delivery, a new lorry needs garages that can service and repair it.

The partnership covers the manufacturer’s entire after-sales division. Qualified partner workshops can carry out maintenance, repairs and servicing for the eTopas. The partner workshops carry out the work, whilst Alltrucks provides the service platform for workshops and fleets.

According to Schulz, the partnership aims to make fleet processes more efficient and reduce service-related delays. Maintaining a consistent standard of service across national borders is also one of the stated objectives.

Alltrucks partner garages can qualify as authorised garages and, consequently, as SuperPanther Service Partners. For owners and garage managers, this involves deciding which work their business should undertake. This, in turn, determines which mechanics will receive training.

Training carried out on the vehicle itself combines technical information with the components at the trainee’s own workstation. This enables trainees to understand the operation and scheduled maintenance procedures directly on the forklift truck. The mechanics who will eventually be working in your company should take part in these training courses.

Work on high-voltage systems requires appropriate qualifications and clear safety procedures. This includes disconnecting the vehicle from the power supply before starting work and securing it against being switched on again. Maintenance also involves checking the battery’s cooling circuit and inspecting the high-voltage cables. Before High-voltage work in the workshop Responsibilities, the scope of work and the safe condition of the vehicle must be clearly defined. SuperPanther’s product training is in addition to the high-voltage qualification.

You should therefore coordinate the manufacturer’s schedules with the qualification planning and the Alltrucks training courses. When selecting High-voltage training courses for your team The planned work on the vehicle should be the deciding factor. Make a note of who is authorised to carry out which tasks and who is responsible for signing off the work.

In preparation for a E-truck workshop These also include suitable workstations and a structured approach to the use of the vehicles.

The first customer vehicles will be delivered from September 2026. This means that services for fleets and authorised workshops will become part of day-to-day operations. For Alltrucks, the partnership also offers the opportunity to build up further expertise in electrically powered commercial vehicles. This expertise will benefit the entire network, as the number of electric lorries in fleets continues to grow.

For servicing appointments, the workshop needs details of the vehicle, its usage and the customer order. For electric commercial vehicles, this also includes the state of charge and, where applicable, charging times in the Order planning. This enables vehicle movements, workstation allocation and the final handover of the vehicle to be organised.

The test drives in Melle gave the participating partners their first hands-on experience of the eTopas. The in-house training sessions will now focus on preparing staff for maintenance and repairs. Would you like to have your Alltrucks business accredited as a SuperPanther authorised workshop? Please contact your Alltrucks system adviser straight away.