• Next generation will be presented at the 2016 IAA International Motor Show for Commercial Vehicles: the Fuso eCanter
  • Canter E-Cell: the all-electric drive is already a reality and has been undergoing customer trials for over a year
  • Canter E-Cell has the edge: large battery capacity and high payload
  • Fuso: the major brand is a leader in 'green' trucks

The cleanest and appropriate drive technology for every application: Fuso, a brand of Daimler Trucks Asia with its headquarters in Japan, is a pioneer in 'green' drives for commercial vehicles. For example, the Fuso Canter light-duty truck is currently available on the European market in two drive variants: with a Euro VI diesel engine and in the form of the Canter Eco Hybrid, which has been successfully in production for years. Under the name of E-Cell, a prototype of the Canter was unveiled at the IAA in 2010 in the guise of an all-electric light-duty truck. Since 2014, the same vehicle has been undergoing customer trials as a preproduction model under real-world conditions.

Canter E-Cell: the all-electric drive is already a reality

The Canter E-Cell proves that the locally emission-free drive for light-duty trucks is no pipe dream but already a technological reality. Following a successful, one-year fleet trial in Portugal, the all-electric Canter E-Cell has since spring 2016 been satisfactorily completing the first fleet trial for trucks of this kind in Germany.

The trial is scheduled to last one year. As part of the trial, the Municipality of Stuttgart is operating four Canter E-Cell, two of them as tippers for road construction and landscaping, while the other two have been equipped with box bodies for municipal furniture transport and the delivery of dustbins. The logistics company Hermes is also participating in the fleet trial and is using a Canter E-Cell for inner-city parcel deliveries.

Canter E-Cell has the edge: large battery capacity and high payload

The only visible difference between the Canter E-Cell and its diesel-engined or diesel-electric counterparts is the battery packs, which are housed on left and right of the frame in containers between the axles. The total battery capacity is 48 kWh. The Canter E-Cell also offers a considerable payload, the load capacity of the six-tonner's chassis being 3.0 tonnes. Whether in the tipper variant or with a box body and tail lift, the payload is around 2.0 tonnes.

The normal three litre diesel engine is replaced by an electric motor mounted directly behind the unchanged driver's cab. The permanent-magnet motor has a peak output of 110 kW and a maximum torque of 650 Nm. Power transfer to the rear axle is by a single-speed transmission. As with an automatic transmission with torque converter, the driver can choose between the gear selector positions D, N, R and P. Similarly to an automatic transmission, there is also a practical crawl function in gear selector positions D and R.

Dynamic acceleration, regenerative braking

For design-inherent reasons, an electric motor delivers its full torque from very low revs. This endows the Canter E-Cell six-tonner with exceptionally dynamic performance with acceleration almost on a par with that of a car. When the driver comes off the accelerator, the Canter E-Cell switches to regenerative braking mode, which can be selected in two stages using a stalk on the steering column. The electric motor then acts as a generator, feeding the energy generated during braking back to the batteries. This enables the Canter E-Cell to achieve a range of over 100 km, which is enough for many short-distance uses.

With a fully discharged battery, recharging at 230 V/16 A takes seven hours, e.g. overnight. Alternatively, if connected to 360 V/100 A, the Canter E-Cell can be fast-charged to 80 percent in just one hour, for example during a work break. Like the Urban eTruck, the Canter E-Cell uses the European standardised Combined Charging System (CCS) Type 2.

A buzzing sound alerts pedestrians to the approaching Canter E-Cell

The fact that the Canter E-Cell is virtually silent in operation makes it ideally suited for use at night or in the early hours of the morning, especially in emission- and noise-sensitive areas such as inner-city districts, parks and pedestrian zones. To avoid risks to pedestrians, there is a VSP (Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians) audible warning system, which can be activated at the press of a button. It produces a clearly audible, yet not too loud buzzing sound.

Successful fleet trial in Portugal

In 2014/2015, eight Canter E-Cell delivered impressive proof of their capabilities in a fleet trial in Portugal. Within one year, the trucks together covered over 50 000 km. The electrically powered light-duty trucks were put to the test by municipal users and delivery operators in a variety of service environments with a range of different bodies. The Canter E-Cell were locally emission-free in operation, reducing the CO emissions by 37 percent compared with diesel engines (when electricity generation is taken into account). The operating costs were 64 percent lower on average.

Fuso: the major brand is a leader in 'green' trucks

Alongside Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner, Fuso is the third major brand of Daimler Trucks and belongs to Daimler Trucks Asia. The company has its headquarters and largest plant in Kawasaki near Tokyo. The second plant for Fuso and BharatBenz trucks is in Chennai, India. The plant for European versions of the Fuso Canter is in Tramagal, Portugal. Fuso produces around 170 000 trucks and buses every year. They are sold in over 150 countries. Daimler Trucks Asia thus accounts for over 30 percent of Daimler's global unit sales of trucks.

Fuso is a leading manufacturer of 'green' light-duty trucks. For example, Fuso Canter Eco Hybrids are in service all around the world. The driving strategy of the Canter Eco Hybrid is based on the vehicle starting and moving off in quiet, all-electric mode. Then, at a speed of around 10 km/h, the diesel engine cuts in. Below this speed, the engine also runs at idle to supply power to the ancillary assemblies. Another strength of the Canter Eco Hybrid is its load-carrying capacity. The extra weight of the hybrid drive comes to just around 150 kg. This means that the load capacity of the 7.5 tonner as a chassis with cab is 4.8 tonnes.

Fuso has over 40 years of experience as a developer of electric drives. Series manufacture of the Canter Eco Hybrid began in 2006, while the second generation has been in production since 2012. The first generation of the electrically powered Canter E-Cell was launched by Fuso in 2010, with the second generation following in 2014. In addition to the Canter Eco Hybrid, Fuso also developed the Canter E-Cell at the Daimler Trucks Hybrid Centre in Kawasaki. The current trial fleet was manufactured on a production line at the plant in Tramagal.

The drive technology is being further improved even while the fleet trial in Germany is in progress. Fuso is already working on the next generation. The product will come onto the market as the Fuso eCanter. Find out more at the IAA Commercial Vehicles in September 2016.

Daimler AG published this content on 27 July 2016 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 27 July 2016 09:14:06 UTC.

Original documenthttp://media.daimler.com/marsMediaSite/en/instance/ko.xhtml?oid=13033943&ls=L2VuL2luc3RhbmNlL2tvLnhodG1sP29pZD0xMzAzMzE1MSZyZWxJZD02MDgyMiZmcm9tT2lkPTEzMDMzMTUxJmJvcmRlcnM9dHJ1ZSZyZXN1bHRJbmZvVHlwZUlkPTQwNjI3JnZpZXdUeXBlPWxpc3Qmc29ydERlZmluaXRpb249UFVCTElTSEVEX0FULTImdGh1bWJTY2FsZUluZGV4PTAmcm93Q291bnRzSW5kZXg9NQ!!&rs=3

Public permalinkhttp://www.publicnow.com/view/22509A9ADB8A8AC8E11507CE07FBB24734CF5C68