Heavy Duty Trucking, January 2018

HDT JANUARY 2018 24 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM AROUND THE WORLD European customers now running Fuso eCanter electric trucks Germanys Daimler Trucks has begun delivering its Fuso eCanter which it calls the first all electric truck in regular production to fleet customers in Europe Drivers will be specially trained to operate the electric trucks and each customer is obtaining their vehicles via a 24 month long term rental from Mercedes Benz CharterWay a captive rental and leasing firm The first to receive the Class 4 trucks on the continent are global logistics firms Deutsche Post DHL DB Schenker Rhenus and Dachser Daimler noted these firms will be running the eCanters in diverse applications For example of the six trucks for DHL two will provide inner city deliveries of heavy cargo for DHL Freights Berlin branch while DHL Paket will use four trucks to deliver goods to businesses For this role the eCanters will replace trucks powered by conventional drivetrains Similarly DB Schenker will use its trucks to collect and deliver general cargo in the inner city of Berlin By contrast Rhenus Group will deploy three eCanters to deliver furniture consumer electronics and home appliances from a central warehouse to residents of Berlins inner city while Dascher will use two electric trucks to collect goods and to complete last mile deliveries After years of thorough development and testing the eCanter is now fully integrated in the conventional Fuso Canter production line said the company Production of the electric model began in July in Portugal All eCanters for the European and U S markets will be produced there Over the next few years Daimlers Sweden based Scania AB rolled out its new regional truck in two versions for Europe both designed for fuel efficient low carbon operation in urban use The new hauler is powered by a 7 liter engine that Scania said will offer fuel savings of up to 10 The OEM also touted the trucks more compact exterior with more spacious interior The P series cab features a lower engine tunnel which opens up the cabs interior and with more compact dimensions the truck is designed to excel in handling steering and driveability The L series cab for applications such as distribution and refuse collection features a cab designed to improve outward visibility with a driving position that is the same height as other road users said Scania Italys Iveco plans to sell large trucks that run on liquefied natural gas in Japan through local dealerships as early as this year according to a report by Nikkei Asian Review The stated range of around 1500 km on a full tank will equal that of a diesel The expected vehicle price will be about 176000 Iveco is shooting to sell 9000 of these trucks a year which would equal a 10th of the Japanese market for commercial trucks Meanwhile Isuzu Motors is said to be working to double the driving range of natural gas trucks According to the Nikkei news report Isuzu is developing an LNG fueled truck that can provide a diesel level 1000 km range At a recent meeting in Tokyo CEOs of 10 of the worlds top manufacturers of heavy duty trucks and engines called for greater collaboration among regulators in Europe the U S and Japan to promote vehicle freight road connectivity At this 14th such summit the executives discussed industry approaches to future regulations and standards aimed at enhancing road safety freight transport efficiency with the help of communications technology and automated driving technology Hotlineglobal TRUCKINGS WORLDWIDE BUSINESS REPORTMitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp subsidiary plans to deliver 500 eCanters of this first production generation to select customers with large scale production slated to start in 2019 UPS announced in September that it will be putting three of the medium duty electric trucks in service in North America for evaluation And in Japan convenience store chain 7 Eleven and Yamato Transport each have committed to operate 25 eCanters David Cullen Fuso eCanter trucks will be primarily used by DHL for inner city delivery of heavy good and packages while Dascher will use theirs for last mile delivery