Series-production Fuso eCanter: First drive

It’s obvious that electrification is a gradual process and not all areas of truck operation are even close to being commercially viable. Remote area and linehaul work cannot be handled practically by electric vehicles at this stage.

Several well-publicised attempts at producing battery linehaul prime overs – notably Nikola and Tesla – have met obstacles and even major truck makers, including Daimler, the parent of Fuso, are progressing slowly in this area.

The basic problem is battery power density. To carry sufficient battery capacity to haul 40+ tonnes over 1000km highway distances, a prime mover would be considerably overweight and payload capacity would be compromised.

In addition, the recharge time for such a large battery pack could be several hours and its initial cost would be huge.

It seems that battery-swap systems are one way the linehaul business could become battery-powered and that would require chassis designs that allow quick-change battery modules at wayside stops. Another possibility is a range-extending hybrid powertrain, combining a combustion engine or fuel cell (an area that Daimler is well advanced in), in league with batteries and electric motors. Both these alternatives aren’t currently available.

It’s no surprise then, that the first production BEVs (battery electric vehicles) are ‘last mile’ trucks.

These trucks typically need no more than around 140km operating range to do their deliveries and pickups during business hours and return to the depot at night. Just like the electric forklifts that now proliferate in logistics warehouses, BEVs can plug-in for an overnight charge and be ready for the next day’s work every morning.

This is the precise vocation of Fuso’s eCanter, but it also has a fast-charge plug that can be used to recharge battery power in around one hour.

It needs to be stressed that the foregoing is the state of play, as at mid-2021. Almost daily come reports of progress in electrification breakthroughs, thanks to government and investor billions being spent on electric-vehicle R&D around the world.

The production truck was rated at 7.5 tonnes GVM, with a cab/chassis tare weight of 3.3 tonnes, for a nominal 4.2 tonnes body and payload capacity. Our test truck was van-bodied and loaded with two tonnes of ballast.

Fuso points out that this truck is its first-generation, production BEV and the normal small print – ‘specifications may change without notice’ – could hardly be more appropriate.

We’ve now driven three eCanters: a prototype in Japan in 2017; a pre-production truck in 2019 and now this series-production model in 2021. In BEV-detail ways they were all different.

Although it’s now in series production, the eCanter is still being developed, so changes are expected to specifications or even to vehicles in service. Fuso has already forecast some of the changes that will be incorporated in the second-generation eCanter, headed by an ‘E-axle’ – an integrated electric motor and final drive unit – that will replace the existing standard drive axle and separate electric motor.

That’s why the eCanter is not being ‘sold’ to buyers in the traditional sense, but leased, allowing Daimler to upgrade in-service trucks as the need arises.

The six-year lease arrangement includes a full maintenance contract and possible vehicle upgrade or replacement during that period. Daimler also requires access to in-service operating data and that information flows back to Daimler’s eMobility Development Team, to help with the design of the next-generation eCanter and other electric-truck products.

Lease pricing depends to a large extent on the vocation and the type of charging that’s provided with the vehicle, but buyers need to expect more than double the cost of a diesel-Canter lease. The payback comes in almost no regular servicing charges and zero fuel cost if electricity is supplied from roof-top solar or wind and depot batteries.

From the outside, the evaluation eCanter looked the same as a regular Canter, except for the obvious under-frame lithium battery packs and a pair of 12-volt batteries that power the cab auxiliaries.

We’ve peeked under the tilt-cabs of all three generations of eCanter and while the battery and motor kit looks substantially the same there are differences in the truck’s auxiliary systems.

Much of that difference relates to thermal control of the battery packs, with feedback coming from real-world, fleet experience of more than 200 pilot vehicles in daily service around the world.

There are around 60 Fuso eCanters operating in Japan, in the Kanto, Kansai, Hokuriku, Sanin and Tokai regions and more than 140 are working in selected fleets in Europe and the USA. Cumulative distance has exceeded three million kilometres.

Cold weather is the traditional enemy of the battery and lithium-ion batteries are no different in that respect. Northern Hemisphere service has shown that Fuso has been able to regulate battery temperature over the past five winters, to preserve operating range, regardless of ambient temperature.

High ambients are another issue, because lithium batteries are less tolerant of heat than lead-acid batteries, which is why they’re not recommended to be fitted in the combustion-engine bays of cars or trucks. The Fuso eCanter will get its high-temperature, in-service test in Australia, during the 2021-22 summer months!

What’s obvious when you tilt the eCanter cab is the amount of cooling system plumbing that’s proved necessary to keep the batteries discharging and charging at optimal temperature levels. The radiator sits where you’d expect a diesel engine radiator to be and the BEV has two separate cooling circuits, with their own non-pressurised header tanks.

Also different from the temperature control systems of a diesel Canter are a trio of electric heater modules that heat coolant for cabin heating and also heat the battery coolant circuit.

Because there’s no engine vacuum function, the eCanter has an electric pump to boost hydraulic brake pressure. Obviously, fully-electric brakes will remove that need, when they’re production ready.

The electric propulsion, high-voltage wiring under the cab connects the batteries, via an ECU to the motor. Orange wiring is a clear indicator of ’don’t touch’. What’s not visible is a thin safety wire circuit that runs through these high-voltage bits and pieces. In the event of thermal or electrical overload, or physical damage, the wire breaks, cutting all the circuits. In addition, there’s an external isolator switch.

Related reading:
Fuso launches all-electric eCanter in Australia
Fifty years of Canter
Fuso eCanter: Review

While the eCanter has its own distinctive powertrain, the truck’s sub-systems mirror what’s now standard on normal Canters: ABS/EBD disc brakes; autonomous emergency braking (AEB); anti-slip regulator (ASR); electronic stability program (ESP) and lane-departure warning (LDWS).

Our test route ran on major roads from Daimler’s giant dealership in western-Sydney’s Huntingwood estate, into the Parramatta CBD, around tight suburban streets, up and down some sharpish hills and back.

On this two-hour, 50-kilometre jaunt we did plenty of traffic driving, manoeuvring and stop-start work, using less than half of the battery capacity, according to the ‘fuel gauge’.

Fuso’s experience suggests that real-world operating range is around the 130-kilometre mark.

Getting comfortable behind the wheel was as per a normal Canter and all the cab electrical power was regulation 12-volt: provided by the separate-circuit battery pair that mount under the bodywork.

Powering up was matter of inserting a toggle-key into a dashboard slot and pressing an ‘ignition’ button. A ‘ready’ sign flashed on the instrument panel and when the flashing stopped the truck was ready to roll.

A normal auto-box selector poked out of the dashboard and offered neutral, forward and reverse positions. Pretty obvious, really. A push on the go-pedal and we were off.

At trucksales we’ve driven a few electric cars and hybrids, so we’re used to zero-noise and zero-vibration lift offs. The eCanter did it in great style … and silence.

The switch and wand controls were the same as the normal Canter’s, with the exhaust brake wand having two-notch operation, but instead of strangling exhaust gas to slow the truck, it allowed two levels of powerful retardation that also provided battery recharging.

With the regenerative braking wand in its high position the eCanter could be driven mostly as a single-pedal truck, letting the ‘regen’ do the slowing work, while also picking up ‘free’ kilometres of battery power.

On that point, you can always distinguish pro truck drivers by the way they predict traffic lights and traffic flow, slowing in advance of clogged intersections, in the interests of preserving momentum and avoiding stop-start operation.

That’s not the best way to operate the eCanter, because it’s best driven with maximum retardation pre-engaged in these conditions and allowed to run faster, with the pedal released, putting regeneration power into the batteries. ‘Dribbling’ along doesn’t use much battery power, but it also doesn’t put any regen into the stack.

The evaluation truck was set up for city work, with a single-speed reduction gear and a top speed of 80km/h. Highway-spec’ trucks would be geared differently.

At a test weight around six tonnes the eCanter proved invincible in the traffic-light grand prix with light commercials – not that you’re supposed to drive it like that, but it was enormous fun blowing a turbo-diesel ute into the weeds. (Afterwards the disgruntled driver looked like he was heading straight to an electronic-chip-upgrade shop.)

However, driven in a traffic-sympathy way, as intended, the eCanter proved to be the quietest, smoothest light truck we’ve ever driven. Single pedal control over acceleration and deceleration made on-off driving relaxing and the powerful wheel brakes were hardly ever needed.

Any city driver would be much happier in the eCanter than in a diesel-powered truck. Of that we’re absolutely sure.

Specifications:
Power source: AC synchronous electric motor couple to a single-speed reduction drive
Power: 135kW
Torque: 390Nm
Batteries: Six Daimler liquid cooled lithium-ion battery packs (total 360V, 82.8kWh)
Range: 100km-plus (depending on conditions and application)
Brakes: Electric two-stage regenerative braking system and electro-hydraulic brakes with two-calliper discs
Suspension: Front leaf springs with hydraulic dampers and stabiliser bar rear leaf springs with hydraulic dampers
Steering: Ball and nut electro-hydraulic power steering
GCM: 7500kg
Payload: 3000kg