Logistics Customers for UK’s First All-Electric Light-Duty Truck
20th March 2018
Daimler Trucks has handed over the world’s first all-electric light-duty (7.5-tonne) truck in series production, the FUSO eCanter, to UK customers.
The three customers to operate the all-new FUSO eCanter in the UK are delivery firm DPD, flour milling giant Hovis and logistics business Wincanton PLC. Especially engineered for urban distribution systems, the eCanter will play an important part of these companies’ environmentally-friendly credentials.
Between them, DPD, Hovis and Wincanton will operate several eCanter trucks in their fleets for deliveries in and around London. The companies have each shown their commitment to sustainable fleet operations by investing in the vehicles, and each is looking forward to reductions in operational costs, not to mention noise and emissions.
Wincanton PLC is Britain’s largest logistics firm with approximately 17,500 employees at more than 200 sites. It will add five FUSO eCanter trucks to its fleet of 3,600 vehicles, and the company aims to develop a UK-wide sustainable road transport and distribution system.
DPD is an international delivery business distributing 4.8 million parcels per day in over 200 countries worldwide. In the UK, DPD employs over 6,000 people and operates 2,340 vehicles in its fleet. The logistics business is going to operate two FUSO eCanter trucks for the first two years.
Hovis is a baking and flour milling business headquartered in High Wycombe, employing around 3,200 people at bakeries, flour mills and distribution centres in the UK. Its milling business processes over 800,000 tons of wheat per year, supplying flour to craft and industrial bakers across the UK and Ireland. Hovis will run two vehicles initially.
The eCanter has a GVW of 7.49 tons and a payload of up to 4.5 tons depending on body and use case. Powered by six high-voltage lithium-ion batteries with 420 V and 13.8 kWh each, the electric drivetrain with a permanent-magnet-motor delivers 129 kW (180hp) via a single-gear transmission in the rear axle. A single charge allows effective operating ranges of over 100km, which is more than enough for inner-city distribution. With the emission-free eCanter, customers not only contribute in shaping a sustainable urban environment, but are able to reduce their operational costs by up to 1,000 Euro for every 10,000 kilometres they use the vehicles, compared to conventional diesel trucks.