Fuso, a subsidiary of Daimler Truck has launched the new eCanter truck which now comes with upto 200km range. Following its European premiere at the IAA Transportation in Hanover in September 2022, Fuso is celebrating the start of production of the all-electric light truck in Europe.
Karl Deppen, CEO Daimler Truck Asia, and Arne Barden, CEO Fuso Europe announced another impressive milestone for the Tramagal plant with the 250,000th Fuso Canter produced on-site.
Since the launch of the eCanter in 2017, Fuso, the Japanese subsidiary of Daimler Truck, has been a frontrunner in electric trucks and has been working consistently to implement sustainable transport solutions. There are now more than 550 Fuso eCanters in customer operation in Europe, Japan and the United States, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.
The total distance covered by the global eCanter fleet in all-electric and thus locally emission-free mode is now around 8 million miles – equivalent to about 200 circumnavigations of the globe.
The production of the all-electric light truck already started in the first quarter at the sister plant in Kawasaki, Japan, which caters to the domestic market as well as all other non-European markets worldwide. In Europe, sales of the eCanter will initially start in 17 markets – France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, Greece and Poland.
GVW upto 8.55-tonne
In order to meet customer requirements even better, Fuso has made several adjustments to the new eCanter. While the previous e-truck was exclusively available as a 7.49-tonner with a wheelbase of 3,400mm, customers now have the choice of six wheelbases between 2,500 and 4,750mm and a permissible gross vehicle weight of 4.25 to 8.55 tonnes. The load capacity of the chassis is up to 5 tonnes. The Next Generation eCanter is powered either by a 110 kW (variants with a gross vehicle weight of 4.25 tonnes) or 129 kW (variants with a gross vehicle weight of 7.49 and 8.55 tonnes) electric motor with an optimised driveline and 430 Nm of torque; the maximum speed is 89kmph (electronically limited).
Depending on the wheelbase, three different battery packs are available: S, M and L. The batteries use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell technology. The battery pack in the S variant has a nominal capacity of 41 kWh and enables a range of up to 70km; M variant, the nominal capacity is 83 kWh and the range is up to 140km and for the L variant, offers a nominal capacity of 124 kWh and a range of up to 200km. This is far more than the distance usually covered per day in light distribution traffic. Recuperation can increase the range even further, while at the same time minimising charging breaks. In comparison, until now the eCanter has only had a battery option with a nominal capacity of 81 kWh and a range of up to 100km.
The e-truck unit supports charging with both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). The Combined Charging System CCS is the charging standard, and charging is possible at up to 104 kW. DC fast charging from 20 to 80 percent of capacity is possible in approximately 24 (S), 26 (M) and 39 minutes (L), depending on the battery pack. AC charging (11 and 22 kW) takes between around four and six hours, depending on the battery pack.
