Fuso unveils battery powered concept truck – Canter E-Cell
Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks recently showed off its commercial-duty, battery-powered concept truck – Fuso Canter E-Cell – at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Expo in Hanover, Germany. The hugely successful Canter Eco Hybrid was a result of Fuso’s last venture into green trucks. The battery powered Fuso Canter E-Cell truck’s design is based on the design of the popular Mitsubishi Canter truck. The Canter E-Cell can cover a distance of 120 km (75 miles) on a single charge. The Canter E-Cell has gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tons and can achieve speeds of almost 50 mph or 80 km/hr. Mitsubishi Fuso has no doubt that the zero-emission truck is ideally suitable for working in crowded city traffic.
In these days of recession and tough economic times, businesses are looking for ways to cut down operating costs without affecting production. So there is an increasing awareness about the price savings that can be achieved by going for cleaner solutions such as moving from diesel-only trucks to such all-electric trucks. The battery powered Canter E-Cell is only a concept truck for now. But soon its production version will roll out offering an even greener option for commercial vehicles.
Canter E-Cell batteries are fitted along the frame rails of the truck. The batteries require six hours of charging from a 380 volt source, when fully depleted. The Canter E-Cell trucks uses batteries similar to the ones that are used in the Vito E-Cell – an electric truck from Daimler – Mitsubishi Fuso’s parent firm. According to Mitsubishi Fuso, the batteries are designed to last 300,000 km (185,000 miles) or ten years.
The Vito manufactured by Daimler is a light-duty vehicle, whereas the Canter is much bigger truck, which is typically sold as a Diesel Class 3 or hybrid truck in Japan and other countries. Mitsubishi Fuso plans to launch the Canter E-Cell following the success of its Canter Eco Hybrid. Over 1,000 Fuso Eco Hybrid commercial trucks have been sold in Japan, Ireland, Hong Kong, and Australia so far. The vehicle tested well in a testing done for more than 360,000 km covered in a period of two years. Fuso Canter Eco hybrids have demonstrated a significant savings of up to 15% fuel over their diesel only versions. The 2 ton category Canter Eco Hybrid is currently the most fuel efficient commercial truck in Japan, which delivers about 11.6 km per liter.