Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Inc. (FUSO) will bring limited-production line fully electric trucks to market in the U.S., Japan and Europe before the end of 2017.
The company made the announcement at its press conference, held in its booth at The Work Truck Show on Wednesday, March 15.
The company has dubbed this new, all-electric, battery-powered medium duty work truck the eCanter. It will be the first 100-percent plug-in electric work truck designed and produced by a major truck manufacturer, and the first production models are scheduled to arrive in the U.S. later this year.
The eCanter is a Class 4 truck with a 15,995-lb GVWR and a payload capacity of roughly 9,380 lbs. It has a practical range up to 100 miles, one- hour quick charge capability, and standard eight-hour overnight charge.
According to Jecka Glasman, FUSO’s president and CEO, “We believe the eCanter will help us chart the future of medium duty trucking in urban environments. It delivers up to a 100-mile range, with zero emissions and zero noise pollution—what we call positive energy. We’ve had preliminary conversations with multiple customers and they are enthusiastic about the possibilities this new truck represents.”
The eCanter also offers flexible battery configurations, so end users can choose between maximizing the eCanter’s range to its full capacity of 100 miles, or working with a somewhat smaller range in order to maximize its payload.
In summarizing one of the significant aspects of these new electric trucks, Otto Schmid, FUSO’s Director, product management, noted, “While the new eCanter has a different look than our standard FE Series cabovers, the electric drivetrain is fitted to our standard 151.6˝-wheelbase cab-chassis—so customers and upfitters will find the same maneuverability and the same familiar 33.5” wide frame, same body attachment capability, cab-to-axle dimensions, and box sizes as they’ve enjoyed with our traditional turbocharged diesel cabovers. And the eCanter includes a high-capacity electric power take-off (PTO) so the eCanter can be used for refrigerated applications and those requiring a liftgate or other auxiliary device.”
