Daimler has confirmed the all-electric Fuso eCanter will come to Australia next year as part of a trial with key customer fleets.
Fuso unveiled the third iteration of the eCanter in Hannover last week, featuring an upgraded drive system and a new look, announcing the model would be Australia bound after its successful real-world trials in Germany.
According to Fuso Truck and Bus director Justin Whitford, this will be a key component in the Fuso product range expansion plan and will be joined in-market by a number of new products under full test environment.
“We are excited to be able to conduct a local trial with the ground breaking all-electric Fuso eCanter in Australia,” Whitford said.
A small series production run of the eCanter also be delivered customers in Europe, the US and Japan.
The new eCanter uses a permanent synchronous electric motor with an output of 185 kW and torque of 380 Nm. Power is transferred to the rear axle by a standard single-speed transmission.
With a battery capacity of 70kWh, Fuso claims a range of more than 100km without recharging – subject to load and driving style.
Five water-cooled lithium-ion batteries are fitted to the truck with one centrally mounted behind the cab, and two more on each side of the frame.
Individual battery packs with three to six sets of batteries of 14 kWh each are planned for the upcoming small-scale production run, allowing the truck to be adapted to customer needs.
However, operators will be required to compromise between battery range and payload in the 7.5 tonne truck with additional batteries adding substantial weight to the truck.
Charging the eCanter to 80 per cent will take one hour using a direct current quick charging station, or seven hours to its full capacity using alternating current.
The new design features LED headlights and a redesigned interior with a central removable tablet.
Fuso is also claiming the eCanter will be priced attractively due to reductions in the cost of technology, and also predicts lower running costs when compared to the equivalent diesel model.
A yearlong test of the previous generation eCanter saw savings of around AU$1,500/10,000km. Combined with estimates of 30 per cent reductions in maintenance costs, Fuso estimates the difference in price will be covered within three years of operation.
