Published

Daimler Rolls Out Battery-Powered Delivery Truck in U.S.

Daimler AG has introduced its first electric commercial truck, the light-duty Fuso eCanter to the U.S. market and promises that several other electric models will follow between now and 2020.
#hybrid

Share

Daimler AG has introduced its first electric commercial truck, the light-duty Fuso eCanter to the U.S. market and promises that several other electric models will follow between now and 2020.

The company delivered three of the trucks yesterday to United Parcel Service Inc. in New York City. The eCanter is being built by Daimler’s Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus affiliate factories in Japan and Portugal alongside conventionally powered Canter trucks.

The truck has a load capacity of 3.5 tons and can travel about 100 km (62 miles) per charge. The vehicle is powered by six lithium-ion batteries, each rated at 420 volts and 13.8 kWh. Daimler says the eCanter can reduce operating costs by as much as €1,000 ($1,200) per 10,000 km (6,200 miles).

Daimler notes that the eCanter is the result of several years of customer testing. The truck was launched in Japan in May, when Seven-Eleven Co. added 25 of the electric trucks to its fleet there.

Daimler intends to build only 500 of the electric trucks over the next two years. The company, declaring the market is there, is betting on the emergence of more powerful batteries that will provide greater range and draw more customers.

RELATED CONTENT

  • Jeeps Modified for Moab

    On Easter morning in Moab, Utah, when the population of that exceedingly-hard-to-get-to town in one of the most beautiful settings on Earth has more than doubled, some people won’t be hunting for Easter eggs, but will be trying to get a good look at one of the vehicles six that Jeep has prepared for real-life, fast-feedback from the assembled at the annual Easter Jeep Safari.

  • Plastics: The Tortoise and the Hare

    Plastic may not be in the news as much as some automotive materials these days, but its gram-by-gram assimilation could accelerate dramatically.

  • Multiple Choices for Light, High-Performance Chassis

    How carbon fiber is utilized is as different as the vehicles on which it is used. From full carbon tubs to partial panels to welded steel tube sandwich structures, the only limitation is imagination.

Gardner Business Media - Strategic Business Solutions