Fuso Canter E-Cell Customer Trials Completed In Portugal

Eight Fuso Canter E-Cell pure electric trucks were tested for one year by Daimler's selected customers in Portugal.

Preliminary analysis from the trial indicates cost savings of  €1,000 per 10,000 km (over $1,750 per 10,000 miles) compared to conventional diesel trucks.

That's a lot, although the range is just over 100 km (62 miles) with a battery pack of 48 kWh (twice the Nissan LEAF).

We are not sure whether "trials completed successfully" means that they will try to produce and sell them.

"Customers used vehicles for a wide range of purposes

First findings from the trials with eight vehicles indicate the vehicles proved adequate for everyday use in short range delivery and inner city transportation. The trucks achieved a range of more than 100 kilometers, thus exceeding the average distance many short-radius distribution trucks usually travel per day. The Fuso Canter E-Cell reached a payload of two tonnes, an amount necessary for customers to operate their fleet efficiently. At the same time, preliminary analysis points to cost savings of about 1.000€ per 10.000 km compared to conventional diesel trucks.

The capabilities of these electrically-powered light-duty trucks were put to the test under a wide range of conditions. The city of Lisbon used the Canter E-Cell for horticultural and waste disposal purposes, the city of Porto as a means of collecting recyclable waste, the city of Sintra in forest maintenance, the city of Abrantes and Cascais similarly in the field of horticulture. The company Transporta used the vehicle for house-to-house deliveries as part of its short-radius distribution service, the energy supplier REN for transport purposes within industrial gas storage facilities located in the cities of Sines and Pombal. And lastly, the Canter E-Cell helped the Portuguese national postal service CTT with transport runs between its distribution centers in the cities of Lisbon and Coimbra."

Marc Llistosella, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) and Head of Daimler Trucks Asia said:

“The Mitsubishi Fuso Canter E-Cell project is a great example of innovation and collaboration between the Portuguese government, its agencies, Mitsubishi Fuso and Daimler Trucks."

“The vehicle underlines our commitment to thinking ahead and developing sustainable and reliable transportation solutions to the benefit of our customers and society as a whole. The results of the trials prove that we are on the right track. The customers in the test trial experienced the Canter E-Cell as an efficient and reliable concept fully meeting the demands of urban delivery transport.”