Daimler starts production of the world’s first all electric light-duty truck in Europe

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) celebrates the start of production of the world’ first all‑electric light-duty truck, the Fuso eCanter. The event was held at the production plant in Tramagal, Portugal, where all eCanter for the European and U.S. markets will be produced in line with the conventional Fuso Canter truck.

Marc Llistosella, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation and head of Daimler Trucks Asia, said “With today’s start of production of the eCanter, we become the first global manufacturer to produce an all-electric truck in series. From now on we can address the growing demand for locally emission free delivery trucks in Mega-Cities. We already received the first customer orders and will mark the global launch of this truck in one of the most iconic Mega-Cities, in New York, this September. “

Fully electric trucks in customer hands

In May, MFTBC already announced its first commercial customer in the Japanese market: Seven-Eleven Co., will be operating 25 units of the new eCanter in their fleet within this year.

After unveiling the first charging station for trucks in May and starting production at the Kawasaki plant in Japan on July 7^th, today’s event symbolizes the beginning of manufacturing of the eCanter outside of Japan. 

With these milestones MFTBC begins paving the way for the company’s first 100 percent electric commercial vehicle. After entering small scale series production, it will just be the natural next step to start with large scale series production in the future. The experiences from this small series in customer hands will also help Fuso for the large scale production in the coming year. 

The Fuso eCanter is produced in line with the conventional Canter light-duty truck at the Tramagal plant. Only the electric-powertrain specific components will be installed in specific boxes along the production line. The vehicles coming from Tramagal, Portugal will be handed over to customers within Europe and the US within the next month.

The eCanter at a glance

The all-electric light-duty truck helps to solve the increasing noise and pollution problems in urban environments across the globe. In addition to being an environment-friendly vehicle, it is also cost‑e fficient and economical for users. The eCanter has a range of 100 kilometers 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 with 420 V and 13.8 kWh each. In comparison with a conventional diesel truck, it offers savings up to 1,000 Euro per 10,000 kilometers on operating costs.

At the 2010 IAA Fuso already presented a first prototype of an electrically powered Canter E-Cell, leading into a pre-series production for testing purposes in 2014. An outlook on the Fuso eCanter small series celebrated its world premiere at the IAA in 2016 and the commercialized series-production eCanter will be globally launched in New York in September of this year.