Stuttgart/Tramagal – Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) has started production of the world’s first all‑electric light-duty truck, the Fuso eCanter. Fuso is a brand of Daimler Trucks Asia.
The event was held at the production plant in Tramagal, Portugal, where all eCanters for the European and US markets will be produced alongside the conventional Fuso Canter truck.
Marc Llistosella, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation and Head of Daimler Trucks Asia said at the occasion: “With today’s start of production of the eCanter, we become the first global manufacturer to produce an all-electric truck in series. From now on we can address the growing demand for locally emission free delivery trucks in mega-cities.
"We already received the first customer orders and will mark the global launch of this truck in one of the most iconic mega-cities, in New York, this September."
In May, MFTBC announced its first commercial customer in the Japanese market: Seven-Eleven will be operating 25 units of the new eCanter in their fleet within this year. After unveiling the first charging station for trucks in May and starting production at the Kawasaki plant in Japan on July 7, the event marks the beginning of manufacturing of the eCanter outside of Japan.
The all-electric light-duty truck is Fuso’s answer to the public’s need for a zero-emission and zero-noise truck for inner-city distribution. It helps solve the increasing noise and pollution problems in urban environments. In addition to being environment-friendly it is also designed to be cost‑efficient and economical. Based on customer trials in Portugal and Germany with the pre-series between 2014 and 2017 the eCanter reportedly offered savings of up to 1000 Euro per 10 000km in operating costs compared to a conventional diesel truck.
The eCanter has a claimed range of 100 kilometres and a load capacity of two to three tons, depending on body and usage. The vehicle’s electric powertrain contains six high voltage lithium ion battery packs with 420 V and 13.8 kWh each.
Fuso has a long history in alternative drivetrains for trucks. Series production of the Canter Eco Hybrid began in 2006, while the second generation has been in production since 2012.
The Tramagal plant in Portugal, around 150km north-east of Lisbon, in 1980 began CKD (completely knocked down) assembly for Mitsubishi Fuso. The plant became part of Daimler AG in 2003 after the automaker acquired the majority share of Mitsubishi Fuso.