Next-gen Fuso eCanter 2022 Spotlight

European truck makers are deadly serious about zero-emissions electric truck development and all the European truck and equipment major original equipment makers (OEMs) at the IAA event strongly emphasised their electric-truck credentials.

All of them we spoke to said they intended to keep diesel powertrains up to date, but their future was clearly electric drive.

Mercedes-Benz and its subsidiary, Fuso, have been at the forefront of electric truck development since most developed countries expressed a need for low- and zero-emissions trucks.

Since its 2017 launch in Japan, making it the first series-produced, all-electric, light-duty truck in its home market, the eCanter has been running in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, with selected fleets, clocking up more than six million kilometres in the process. We tested an Australian-market model back in June 2021.

Andreas von Wallfeld, head of Daimler Truck Overseas (DTO) told us that Australia and New Zealand will also feature in the rollout of the New Generation, 2023 model.

He said that although Daimler is planning to produce fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCVs) alongside battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the medium and heavy markets, the company is happy with a BEV-only solution for the pick-up and delivery market, where trucks can be charged overnight in a company’s depot.

“Fuel cell trucks, using hydrogen fuel, look like being an alternative solution for long distance trucks,” said Andreas von Wallfeld. “But the BEV-powered eCanter has already proved itself in short-haul work.”

His comments to us were backed up by the electric truck experience of fleet operator, DB Schenker. This company is a subsidiary of the Deutsche Bahn AG national railway company of Germany. It’s the largest road haulier in the EU and has representation in 130 countries worldwide.

DB Schenker has been running eCanters since the model’s limited introduction in 2017 and is generally very happy with the drivability of these trucks. However, the company found that regular use of powered tailgate lifts decreased battery driving range and was keen to see battery capacity increased.

When we visited DB Schenker’s Frankfurt depot the company had just taken delivery of a new 2023 New Generation model that seemed to address the battery-range issue.

Following five years of operational experience, the Next Generation eCanter looks externally little different, but chassis and powertrain developments make the new eCanter an electrically and mechanically different vehicle.

The biggest change is the adoption of an eAxle final drive unit that replaces the previous mid-mounted electric motor, prop shaft and conventional rear axle, housing a mechanical differential.

In the lead up to the launch of the latest model, Daimler made no secret of the fact that the Next Generation model would incorporate an eAxle, but its innovative design surprised us.

Rather than having the electric motor on the front of a conventional diff nose on a rigid rear-drive axle, the 2023 eCanter has a chassis-mounted, electric power unit, with open half-shafts connected to the rear wheel ends. Its conventional leaf spring packs are bolted to a U-shaped cross beam that sits behind the power unit.

This semi-independently-sprung rear axle assembly owes its origin to the de Dion rear ends that were popular in post-World War II sports and racing cars.

This compact arrangement, without a prop shaft, means that the space between the chassis rails can be devoted almost entirely to battery packs. The chassis can house one, two or three battery modules, depending on the wheelbase choice, from 2500mm up to 4750mm, in four increments.

The three different battery packs are designated S, M and L and all have lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell technology that provides long service life and more usable energy. LFP batteries aren’t quite as energy-dense as some other lithium battery types, but aren’t fire-prone like lithium-cobalt batteries.

The battery pack in the S variant has a nominal capacity of 41kWh (41 kilowatt-hours) and enables a range of up to 70 kilometres. In the M variant, the nominal capacity, is 83kWh and the range is up to 140 kilometres. The most powerful L variant offers a nominal capacity of 124kWh and a range of up to 200 kilometres, which is far more than the distance usually covered per day in light distribution traffic.

In comparison, the first eCanters had nominal battery capacity of 81kWh and a range of up to 100 kilometres.

Battery charge recuperation, when the truck is running downhill or slowing in traffic, can increase the range even further.

The greatly increased operating range has allowed the eCanter model range to be expanded for 2023, with both narrow (1700mm) and wide cab (2130mm) models available, with GVMs from 4250kg up to 8550kg.

The first eCanter was available only as a 7.5-tonner, with a wheelbase of 3400mm.

The New Generation eCanter is powered by a 110kW motor, for variants with gross weights up to 6000kg and 129kW for variants with gross weights of 7490kg and 8550kg. Up to 430Nm of instant torque is available at lift off and the designed maximum speed is 89km/h.
Power take offs are also now available: a mechanical unit for Europe and an electric PTO for Japan. It’s not certain at this stage if one or both PTO types will be offered in Australia.

The Next Generation eCanter has enhanced EV functions, including four-level regenerative braking and Battery Pre-Conditioning, which allows the battery to be preheated during AC charging. A Heater Cut Switch cancels cabin blower heating that uses more battery capacity, in favour of heating only the seats and steering wheel.

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The Next Generation eCanter also comes with additional advanced safety functions. Active Sideguard Assist 1.0 reduces the risk of cornering accidents by monitoring the inside blind spot and, when necessary, activating collision-mitigating braking.

Active Brake Assist 5 gets improved spatial recognition and pedestrian detection. A new electric parking brake is also integrated with the truck’s emergency braking system.

LED headlights and daytime running lights, plus LED rear combination lights, offer improved brightness and Intelligent Headlight Control automatically switches between high and low beams.

Active Attention Assist is intended to reduce fatigue-induced incidents, with white line recognition, steering sensors and a facial recognition camera. Driver inattention is signalled by a buzzer and dashboard display.

Traffic Sign Recognition displays traffic signs picked up by a front-facing camera and the Back Eye Camera System assists drivers in avoiding collisions when reversing.

The Next Generation eCanter features upgraded interior features, with a slightly lower dashboard and a 254mm (10-inch) LCD panel, linked to steering wheel switches.

Fuso’s telematics, Truckonnect, has EV-specific features for the eCanter. The eRange function that displays the remaining mileage and EV battery capacity, can be tracked on the Truckonnect portal.

In addition, the new model has a Charging Management System function that allows operators to set a timer, to charge vehicle batteries when electricity costs are lowest.

“At Fuso, we are frontrunners in the electrification of commercial vehicles,” Karl Deppen, CEO of Daimler Truck Asia told us.

“Since the introduction of the small-series eCanter five years ago, we gained extensive experience and valuable feedback from customers running the trucks in daily operations.

“With the Next Generation eCanter, we are now offering our customers tailor-made eMobility solutions for a broad range of applications.

“By taking the next step extending our product portfolio and entering large scale production, we continue to lead the sustainable transportation of the future,” said Deppen.

In addition to truck product innovations, Fuso’s back-up eMobility Solutions includes a range of services covering the entire electric truck ecosystem: from chargers to finance.

In Australia, the limited release first generation eCanter has proved successful in the metro pick-up and delivery market and the Next Generation model’s enhanced safety, operating range and varied cab and chassis configurations are expected to generate even more interest when it’s launched here in 2023.