SPOTLIGHT
Fuso is making a big impact as it reduces the environmental impact, with six seriesproduced fully electric light trucks equipped with extensive integrated safety features arriving in July.
The arrival of the trucks represents the first tangible milestone after a five-year preparation period where the trucks have completed over three million kilometres of road testing overseas.
This is much more than just another electric vehicle reveal. In the first place, it is the largest electric truck trial New Zealand has ever undertaken and will take a year to complete.
During the 12 calendar months from July, major fleet operators Mainfreight, Bidfood, Toll Group, Owens Transport and Vector Ongas. will be using the ecanter trucks through Auckland’s proposed Zero Emissions Area (ZEA).
And for those who didn’t know, the ZEA extends from the waterfront to Mayoral Drive extending to Albert Park on one side of the city and Hobson St on the other.
The largest part of this valley area will be accessible only by zero or very low emissions vehicles and yet it will remain a commercial hub, making it the ideal environment for the ecanters.
FUSO’S ecanter trucks will use inner-city delivery routes working with the collaborating company’s customers to optimise the potential of the trucks, develop insights into optimum scheduling and vehicle capacity, and to identify solutions to any unanticipated barriers to electric truck operation in the proposed ZEA.
“We’re all excited to finally see FUSO ecanter arrive and go to work in the Auckland CBD,” says Kathy Schluter, FUSO GM of
Sales and Customer Experience.
“It is ideal for inner city delivery, it’s easy to drive, produces zero emissions and is virtually silent, which is a huge benefit local residents and workers.
“The ZEA trial very much sets the scene for the future, particularly for these early adopters who have joined us on this journey leading the charge.”
The FUSO ecanter is driven by a permanent synchronous electric motor, powered by an 81kwh (420v) lithium-ion, liquid-cooled battery pack.
It delivers an impressive 135kw and 390Nm, which provides a range of 100-150km on a single charge – well-suited to aroundtown delivery routes.
Two-stage regeneration captures kinetic energy created by the vehicles momentum and stores it in the batteries for future use. Efficient use of the regeneration settings will extend the practical range of the FUSO ecanter.
The electric drivetrain is fitted to a standard 3,400mm wheelbase FUSO Canter cab chassis, meaning customers and bodybuilders will be working with the same, familiar 750mm wide frame.
A standard CCS2 plug is used for charging, with downtime minimised, thanks to DC fast charge capability that will have the battery at 80 percent capacity in less than one hour.
FUSO ecanter comes equipped with an AC charge cable (max 32A), which will allow a full charge overnight using off-peak power.
While the cornerstone of the new FUSO ecanter is sustainability, the trucks also provide major protection to drivers and other road users with advanced safety features.
These include: helps avoid or mitigate collisions with pedestrians and other vehicles, using a radar to monitor the road ahead, the risk of lane departure accidents, using a camera behind the windscreen to detect lane markings and trigger an alert if the vehicle crosses with no indicator. multiple sensors to detect loss of steering control and apply brake force at each wheel, which aids steering control and improves stability.
Car drivers will be quite used to these features, but they are not common in light commercial trucks, so not only are the ecanters powered by the very latest in electric powertrains, they also demonstrate FUSO’S commitment to safety.