Daimler launches Mitsubishi Fuso eCanter in US market

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Fleet Owner  /  September 15, 2017

Construction clanking, sirens from emergency vehicles, and other typical city traffic noise served as the backdrop for Thursday’s global launch of Mitsubishi Fuso’s medium-duty electric delivery truck here in New York City’s East Village.

The truck, called the eCanter, was unveiled by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), part of Daimler Trucks, and has been touted as a zero-emission, zero-noise truck that will help transform urban areas, like New York City, “into cleaner and quieter places for everyday deliveries.” The truck, driven through the city by Fuso president and CEO Jecka Glasman, made its entrance at the corner of Lafayette and Great Jones, where Fuso converted an old gas station into its temporary “Energy Station of the Future.”

Introducing the truck, Marc Llistosella, president and CEO of MFTBC and head of Daimler Trucks Asia, said some of the main trends he’s seen that will have major impacts on the trucking and bus industries are urbanization, emissions reduction, and energy efficiency.

“We have been seeing more and more renewable, clean energy,” Llistosella explained. “There were a lot of hesitations and resistance, but now I would say [electrification] is coming.”

Llistosella noted that 54% of the world’s population lives in cities, which has become a main driver for electrification and the need for clean trucks and buses.

“Cities have a voice,” he noted. “It’s clear they want less pollution, less emissions and much less noise. We see a lot of tendencies and strong statements – from cities like Paris – that from 2040 on, they will no longer allow combustion-engine vehicles and trucks allowed into the cities. We will see changes driven by the cities.”

One diesel-engine truck produces roughly 16 tons of CO2 in New York City, Llistosella explained. Assuming there are 10,000 trucks driving around Manhattan a year, they would emit 160,000 tons of CO2 a year, plus NOx emissions, and noise, he added. To offset that pollution, New York would need a forest the size of 36 Central Parks.

New York City has put in place a plan to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050. Glasman added Fuso believes this truck is a “game-changer” for the city.

“It will allow us cleaner, quieter, more efficient delivery systems to the people who live in New York,” she stated. “We expect to have 50 trucks that will be operating here in the U.S. by the end of the year.”

The eCanter will be delivered to customers starting this year in the U.S., Europe and Japan. MFTBC noted it is planning to deliver 500 units of this generation to customers within the next two years. Larger scale production is intended to start in 2019.

The eCanter has a range of more than 60 miles and a load capacity up to three and a half 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. According to the company, when comparing the eCanter to a conventional diesel truck, it offers savings up to $2,000 per 10,000 miles on operating costs.

At its global launch, Fuso also announced that UPS is the company’s first U.S. commercial partner for the eCanter. UPS said it will place in service trucks to build on UPS’s Rolling Laboratory fleet of more than 8,500 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles.

“At UPS, we constantly evaluate and deploy advanced technologies that enable sustainable, innovative solutions for our fleet,” said Carlton Rose, president, global fleet maintenance & engineering, UPS. “Electric trucks make our fleet both cleaner and quieter. We have a long-standing global relationship with Daimler, and we welcome the opportunity to trial the Fuso eCanter as UPS continues to realize the benefits of electric trucks.”

In coordination with the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Fuso also will supply a fleet of eCanter trucks to nonprofits, including Wildlife Conservation Society, New York Botanical Garden, Habitat for Humanity New York City, and Big Reuse Brooklyn.

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Fuso launches zero-emissions light truck in New York

Truck News  /  September 14, 2017

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Daimler Trucks’ Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. celebrated the launch of the Fuso eCanter in New York City today, the world’s first series-produced all-electric light-duty truck.

U.S., European and Japanese customers will receive their eCanter starting this year, with 500 expected to receive the vehicle in the next two years.

“In times, when everybody is talking about electric trucks, we are the first to actually commercialize a series produced all-electric truck,” said Marc Llistosella, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus and head of Daimler Trucks Asia. “Having a long history in alternative drivetrains, we are proud to step into this new era. Our Fuso eCanter comes with years of customer testing, and the assurance of parts, services, and warranty through our global Fuso dealership network.”

The first eCanter trucks were provided were provided to UPS and four New York City-based non-profit – Wildlife Conservation Society, New York Botanical Garden, Habitat for Humanity New York City, and Big Reuse Brooklyn.

“At UPS, we constantly evaluate and deploy advanced technologies that enable sustainable, innovative solutions for our fleet,” said Carlton Rose, president of global fleet maintenance and engineering for UPS. “Electric trucks make our fleet both cleaner and quieter, adding to our already more than 8,500 alternative drivetrain vehicles in service today. We have a long-standing global relationship with Daimler, and we welcome the opportunity to trial the Fuso eCanter as UPS continues to realize the benefits of electric trucks.”

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eCanter is a different animal for body builders

Rick Weber, Trailer-Body Builders  /  December 7, 2017

Coverage from the recent NTEA Truck Product Conference, a look at the critical details of new and coming-soon equipment from the chassis manufacturers, and what the changes mean for upfitters and truck body builders.

The 2018MY is basically a carryover year for Mitsubishi Fuso, so most of the questions addressed the new eCanter all-electric medium-duty truck and how body builders will deal with it.

“We will certainly be providing safety instructions as far as handling the truck goes,” said Leighton Good, manager of product applications. “For this debut, we provide a decommissioning procedure to power down the high-voltage system before any work is done on the truck. The truck uses standard European-developed protocol as far as identifying high-voltage circuits. The truck does have a 12-volt system in addition to a 360-volt, high-voltage system. The 12-volt system is because all accessories are still 12 volts.

“What everyone needs to be aware of is its new technology. Body applications will generally be the same as far as body sizes go. Certainly there is less real estate on the truck for the mounting of equipment. We went to the standard grid-style frame with holes from the back of cab and end of frame that are in a 40 mm-by-50 mm pattern. Almost every one of those holes seems to be occupied now that we have a new, lighter truck. There are still places where equipment can be mounted by using standard U-bolts. We do have available now, from Fuso Japan, a vertical and horizontal style bracket that can be used at either the 40mm or 50 mm spacing. We’ve been able to mount the first four trucks without using any U-bolts.”

The eCanter has been touted as a zero-emission, zero-noise truck that will help transform urban areas “into cleaner and quieter places for everyday deliveries.” The eCanter underwent extensive customer trials conducted in Portugal and Germany between 2014 and 2017. In comparison with a conventional diesel truck, the OEM said it offers savings up to $1890 per 10,000 miles on operating costs, along with “significant” reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

The eCanter has a range of 60 to 100 miles 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, rated 420 volts and 13.8 kilowatt/hours each. The battery packs are being delivered from Daimler subsidiary Accumotive in Kamenz, Germany.

“We’re very excited about this truck,” Good said. “At 16,000 GVW, it’s a little bit heavier than our standard truck. It’s about 900 pounds heavier, due to the batteries.”

The company said it is planning to deliver 500 units of this generation to customers within the next two years. Larger scale production is intended to start in 2019. At its global launch, Fuso announced that UPS is the company’s first US commercial partner for the eCanter. UPS said it will place in service trucks to build on UPS’s Rolling Laboratory fleet of more than 8500 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles.

“Short-series” production for the US market began earlier this year at the OEM’s factory in Tramagal, Portugal. The eCanter is produced alongside the conventional Canter “light” medium-duty unit at the Tramagal plant. Only the electric-powertrain-specific components will be installed in specific boxes along the production line.

The all-electric eCanter units coming from Tramagal were handed over to customers within Europe and the US starting in August.

Later this year, that same plant will produce components for the new Fuso FE Series Gas trucks, which will be assembled in the US.

Fuso’s FE130, FE160, and FE180 will be powered by a PSI-GMPT Vortec Series 6-liter V8 engine, coupled with an Allison 6-speed automatic transmission. The new V8 engine models will be the first Fuso vehicles to be assembled in the US.

The gas truck will be offered in Class 3 and 4, and as the industry’s only Class 5 gas-powered model, the company stated. Customer trials for the new FE Series gas trucks began in the fourth quarter, with full-market launch to follow in 2018 as 2019 model year.

While the new VortecV8 represents a robust new powertrain for the company, it has adapted the drivetrains to its standard cab-chassis configurations, so customers and upfitters will find the same familiar 33.5-inch-wide frame, same body attachment capability, wheelbases, cab-to-axle dimensions, and box sizes as they’ve had with turbocharged diesel cabovers.

“Externally, it is not so much different,” Good said. “It uses the same cab wheelbases and frame. But it does have a 6-liter, V8 gasoline engine. There are a lot more broader applications as far as PTOs go and as far as speed and torque capability.”

The company is partnering with Morgan Corporation and Daimler Truck Financial to offer lease and purchase programs for its 2017 Fuso FE160 Class 4 medium-duty cabover truck with a 151˝ wheelbase and 16´ Morgan aluminum dry van body.

Dubbed the FUSOComplete Program, it offers customers a Fuso FE160 Series truck with 15,995-lb GVWR and 10,490-lb estimated body/payload, through either a 36- or 48-month lease, or a direct, no-down-payment purchase with 36- or 48-month financing terms.

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Fuso eCanter electric truck uses John Deere PD400 Inverter

Green Car Congress  /  June 21, 2018

John Deere Electronic Solutions’ (JDES) PD400 inverter is a key component in the Fuso eCanter fully electric truck. (Earlier post.) The JDES PD400 is a rugged, off-the-shelf inverter that has been proven in use at John Deere and in other off-road OEM applications. Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) is the competence center for light-duty trucks and hybrid technology at Daimler Trucks, and is one of the leading manufacturers of commercial vehicles in Asia.

The flexible PD400 software provides a broad set of features and tunings that allow the eCanter electric drive system to optimize efficiency and performance. JDES offers the PD400 in single and dual configurations.

The eCanter requirements demanded very high peak torque under difficult operating conditions. In response, JDES completed a detailed drive cycle analysis that incorporated the thermal characteristics of the inverter. The result was a software upgrade that increased boost currents to 50% above previously rated limits for short periods of time all while maintaining reliability goals.

JDES resources were also utilized in the execution of ECE-R85 electric powertrain homologation testing. The traction motor, PD400 inverter, and the reference vehicle cooling system were assembled at JDES labs in Fargo, North Dakota. The 30-minute power test and the net power test were witnessed by a third party to validate applicable torque and power claims for the eCanter.

We sought out John Deere as an inverter supplier from their reputation for quality and integrity. After working with JDES we certainly see they deliver to this promise.

—Lars Schroeter, Head of xEV Powertrain Systems for Fuso

Separately, JDES announced a new distribution and support agreement with Rational Motion GmbH, which is headquartered in Cologne, Germany. Rational Motion will be the official distributor in Germany of JDES inverters for all on-highway and, depending on business environment, off-highway markets, including hybrid and pure electric applications. The new business arrangement means that customers will not only receive JDES inverters, but also integration services provided by Rational Motion.

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"Nothing runs like a Deere"

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J.B. Hunt Transport Services Takes Delivery of First All-Electric Trucks

Transport Topics  /  December 5, 2018

J.B. Hunt Transport Services has made its first purchase of electric-powered trucks, acquiring five medium-duty eCanter box trucks from Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. for use in making deliveries in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., and in the greater Houston area in Texas.

The purchase was announced in an ceremony at J.B. Hunt headquarters in Lowell, Ark., on Dec. 5.

“These trucks may be silent, but they speak loudly of our dedication to creating a more sustainable transportation system,” J.B. Hunt CEO John Roberts said in a statement. “Our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and improve efficiency stretch across the supply chain, from intermodal load conversion to enhancing the aerodynamics and safety of our fleet. This latest addition brings that effort to the last mile and directly to the consumer’s doorstep.”

J.B. Hunt is the second national carrier to introduce the eCanter trucks in the United States since the vehicle was launched in New York City in October 2017, according to Mitsubishi Fuso officials.

Justin Palmer, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, which is based in Logan Township, N.J., said the sale to J.B. Hunt represents an industry milestone.

“The eCanter demonstrates that the future of electric trucks is very possible and is no longer a prototype, but a real truck delivering real goods daily,” he stated.

The first fleets to take delivery of the eCanter were Japanese grocery retailer 7-Eleven and Yamato Transport. U.S. customers include parcel carrier UPS Inc., the University of California and the New York Botanical Garden.

The trucks, which are produced at plants in Kawasaki, Japan, and Tramagal, Portugal, are powered by six high-voltage lithium-ion batteries with a driving range of 80 miles on a full charge and a maximum payload of about 9,380 pounds.

The electric trucks will be added to the Final Mile Services division of J.B. Hunt Dedicated Contract Services unit.

J.B. Hunt DCS ranks No. 1 on the Transport Topics list of largest dedicated contract carriers in North America with 8,727 power units.

Overall, J.B. Hunt operates a fleet of more than 15,600 tractors and 734 straight trucks, according to registration data on file with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

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