Daimler trucks delivers first FUSO eCanter all-electric trucks to customers in Europe

Daimler Trucks is delivering the first units of its all-electric FUSO eCanter to European customers: DHL, DB Schenker, Rhenus and Dachser. The customers are all in the logistics business, but the trucks’ areas of operation are diverse. The customers obtain their vehicles via a 24-month rental from CharterWay, Daimler’s own rental and leasing expert in the commercial vehicle business.

• Deutsche Post DHL will use its six vehicles in two business divisions: two vehicles will perform inner city delivery runs of business and private customers of DHL Freight’s Berlin branch, for heavy individual cargo, such as electrical or large household appliances. DHL Paket will use four vehicles for the delivery of goods to businesses and corporate clients. For this, the electric trucks will be fully integrated in existing business processes and will replace the vehicles with conventional drivetrains which were used so far.
• DB Schenker will test its series production electric vehicle sfor inner city logistics under real-life production conditions. Among other tasks, one of the three trucks will deliver and collect general cargo in the inner city of Berlin.
• Rhenus Group will use its three FUSO eCanter within its home delivery unit. From the central warehouse in Hoppegarten, the all-electric trucks will deliver furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and heavy sport equipment to the inner city of Berlin.
• Two more FUSO eCanter will be driving for the transport company Dachser. Their job will be the general goods transportation core business on the last mile, meaning pallets with industrial goods either at micro-hubs or goods that are delivered directly to the customer, as well as collecting goods and delivering them to the Dachser-branches. At these branches, the eCanters will recharge overnight using a high-voltage loading station.

Over the next years, Daimler subsidiary Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) is planning to deliver a total of 500 trucks of this generation to selected customers. The large-scale series production is planned to start in 2019. In the US, FUSO eCanter are already committed for delivery for the logistics company UPS and in Japan the convenience-store chain Seven-Eleven and Yamato Transport each will operate 25 eCanter in their fleets.

At the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of October, MFTBC announced it will electrify its entire range of trucks and buses of its FUSO brand in upcoming years. With the new product brand E-FUSO, MFTBC becomes the first OEM with its own electric brand for trucks and buses. In the following years all FUSO truck and bus models will offer an additional electric variant. The timing for the launch of each model will be defined according to the required technology and feasibility.

FUSO eCanter. Depending on body and field of application the eCanter has a load-bearing capacity of up to 4.5 tons. The vehicle’s electric power train contains six high-voltage lithium-ion batteries with each 420 V and 13.8 kWh. An electric drivetrain with a strong permanent-magnet-motor delivers 129 kW (180 hp) via a single-gear transmission in the rear axle; continuous torque is 285 N·m. The maximum speed of the eCanter is limited to 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph). The batteries with a total weight of approximately 600 kilograms allow a range of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles).