After the European premiere at the IAA Transportation in Hanover in September 2022, the Daimler Truck subsidiary FUSO is celebrating the start of production in Europe of the all-electric light truck eCanter Next Generation. Held at the Mitsubishi FUSO Europe (‘MFTE’) manufacturing facility in Tramagal, Portugal, the event was attended by company representatives and guests from the worlds of politics and business, gathered to celebrate the release of the first example of the eCanter Next Generation from the European assembly lines.
Since the introduction of the eCanter in 2017, the FUSO brand has been considered a pioneer and forerunner of electric trucks and is constantly working on the implementation of sustainable transport solutions. More than 550 FUSO eCanters are now employed by customers in Europe, Japan and the United States, as well as Australia and New Zealand. Production of the electric light truck started at its sister plant in Kawasaki, Japan as early as the first quarter of 2023. Kawasaki supplies the FUSO eCanter Next Generation in Japan and all other non-European markets around the world. In Europe, the FUSO eCanter Next Generation will initially go on sale in 17 markets (France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, Greece and Poland).
In order to meet customer needs even better, FUSO has incorporated various modifications and refinements into the eCanter Next Generation: Customers can now choose between six wheelbases between 2,500 and 4,750 millimeters and a permissible total weight between 4.25 and 8 .55 tons. The carrying capacity of the chassis can reach 5 tons. The eCanter Next Generation is driven by a 110 kW (variants with 4.25 and 6 tonnes gross weight) or 129 kW (variants with 7.49 and 8.55 tonnes gross weight) electric motor with optimized powertrain and a of 430 Nm; the maximum speed reaches 89 km/h (limited). Depending on the wheelbase, three different battery packs are available – S, M and L, with 41, 83 and 124 kWh respectively – with ranges from 70 to 200 km.
The charging unit supports both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) charging. The charging standard is the Combined Charging System CCS and charging up to 104 kW is possible. DC fast charging from 20 to 80% capacity is possible in approximately 24 (S), 26 (M) and 39 minutes (L), depending on the battery pack. AC charging (11 and 22 kW) takes approximately four to six hours, depending on the battery pack.