Fuso has beaten its rival to the punch and will almost certainly be the first to launch a mass produced electric light truck in Australia, with the announcement that it will launch its eCanter in Australia in February next year.
While rivals Isuzu and Hino have been trying hard to come up with a local electric truck solution to answer demand from various major operators Fuso will introduce the world’s first all-electric light truck before its two opponents..
The eCanter, which produces zero exhaust pipe emissions, was first introduced in 2017 and is currently operating in the United States, Europe and Japan.
It was developed from the ground-up using Daimler’s research and development might and has been extensively tested in harsh environments.
Fuso presented an eCanter at the 2019 Brisbane Truck Show and select Australian fleets subsequently trialed the ground-braking machine.
Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific president and CEO, Daniel Whitehead, says Australian customers have been enthusiastic about the eCanter.
“The best light truck fleets in Australia have told us that safety and emissions reduction are absolutely critical for them,” Whitehead says.
“We introduced Advanced Emergency Braking to the light truck class in Australia with Canter last year and now we will be first with a fully integrated manufacturer-developed electric truck.”
Daniel Whitehead says the fact the eCanter is an integrated original equipment manufacturer product is greatly appreciated by key customers.
“It’s quite simple to take a truck, swap out an engine and replace it with third-party motor and batteries if you want an electric truck in a hurry, but the Australian market is more mature than that,” Whitehead says.
He says thorough testing and development is imperative in the transport industry.
“These trucks are performing essential services around the clock in rain, hail and shine, day in, day out, so it is critical customers have confidence that they continue to perform as promised,” he says.
Like the other Canter 4×2 models, the eCanter will be equipped with a long list of unmatched safety features including Advanced Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning, Electronic Stability Control, Hill Start assist, reversing camera and driver and passenger airbags. Fuso includes these key safety features at no extra cost to the customer.
