The Mitsubishi Fuso Canter E-Cell is scheduled to arrive in the U.S. in late 2017.Daimler Trucks Asia (DTA) announced that the Mitsubishi Fuso Canter E-Cell electric truck will be arriving in the U.S. by the fall of 2017.
DTA revealed its third-generation Canter E-Cell recently during the International Automobile Exhibition in Hannover, Germany.
After its original reveal in 2010, the all-electric truck, also known as eCanter, underwent customer trials in Japan, Portugal and is now currently being tested in Stuttgart, Germany.
The truck, which averages about 62 miles on a single charge, is being marketed as a short-range vehicle for inner city deliveries and transportation.
DTA has developed a modular concept for batteries that offers more mileage and/or more payload depending on the individual needs of customers.
A package of three to five lithium-ion batteries is available with a capacity of 13.8kWh each. Five battery packs can be fitted onto the vehicle with a permissible gross vehicle weight of 7.5 tons while delivering roughly 62 miles of daily mileage.
Charging the batteries at 200 volts takes around seven hours, while the use of a rapid DC charging system can reduce it to less than one hour (73kW, 80-percent of battery capacity). Key components also include an electric motor with an output of 185kW and maximum torque of 280 lb.ft.
The Fuso eCanter has reached a payload of two to three tons, depending on configuration. DTA reports that the truck can save about $1,000 per 5,500 miles and cut operating costs by up to 64 percent compared to conventional diesel trucks.
“Coupled with a reduction in maintenance costs of around 30 percent, this makes the vehicle an economical solution for customers who would be able to pay back the initial cost in two years’ time,” a DTA representative said.
Mr. Marc Llistosella, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso and Bus Corporation and head of DTA, said: “The new all-electric Fuso eCanter underlines our commitment to thinking ahead and developing sustainable and reliable transportation solutions to the benefit of our customers, society and even our planet.
“DTA has been the center of competence for hybrid and electric technologies within Daimler Trucks. Based on our successful customer trials, we will bring the latest innovations to the world.”
Fuso eCanter will be delivered in late 2017 in the U.S., Japan and Europe to select customers.
