Daimler offers insight on Australian Fuso eCanter testing

Real-world testing of all-electric offering ahead of February launch

 

Daimler advises Fuso’s all-electric eCanter local light truck has been driven “around the clock” on Victorian roads as part of a six-month test ahead of its launch here early next year.

For the local test program, three drivers have been taking turns during each 24-hour period, running the eCanter on designated loops before returning and charging the truck for the next driver.

It has been run empty as well at its maximum gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 7.5 tonnes in all weather types.

This is in addition to a global testing program and the real-world experience of operators in the US, Europe and Japan since the eCanter’s introduction in 2017.

Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific president and CEO Daniel Whitehead says the eCanter was developed using Daimler’s research and development resources and offers Australian customers a fully-integrated original equipment manufacturer (OEM) all-electric truck.


We had a drive of the eCanter around local roads late last year


“The eCanter test program is one small part of the testing and development program for this ground-breaking all-electric vehicle, but it is very important,” Whitehead says.

“Our customers need to know that they are buying a product from a manufacturer that has done the hard work to ensure its vehicle has been properly developed and tested.”

Whitehead says there has been a lot of interest in eCanter from large Australian fleets.

“These customers are especially attracted by the fact the eCanter is a fully-integrated manufacturer developed and tested electric truck, rather than something put together by a third-party using a donor truck and electric components from another source,” he adds.

Fuso presented an eCanter at the 2019 Brisbane Truck Show and select Australian fleets subsequently briefly trialled the vehicle.

Like all Canter 4×2 models, the eCanter is equipped with safety features including advanced emergency braking, lane departure warning, electronic stability control, hill start assist, reversing camera and driver and passenger airbags.

 

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