Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (”DICV“), the wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck announced the market launch of the all-electric light-duty truck Next Generation eCanter in the Indian market.
This marks the DICV’s foray into the Indian battery electric commercial vehicle market and the company’s push into the light-duty truck segment in India. The light-duty electric truck will be launched in the market within the upcoming six to twelve months.
FUSO has made several adjustments to the Next Generation eCanter. While the previous electric truck was exclusively available as a 7.49-tonner with a wheelbase of 3,400 millimetres, customers now have the choice of six wheelbases between 2,500 and 4,750 millimetres and a permissible gross vehicle weight of 4.25 to 8.55 tonnes. The load capacity of the chassis is up to 5 tonnes.
The Next Generation eCanter is powered either by a 110 kW (variants with a gross vehicle weight of 4.25 tonnes) or 129 kW (variants with a gross vehicle weight of 7.49 and 8.55 tonnes) electric motor with an optimised driveline and 430 Nm of torque; the maximum speed is 89 km/h (electronically limited).
Depending on the wheelbase, three different battery packs are available: S, M and L. The batteries use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell technology. These are characterised above all by a long service life and more usable energy. The battery pack in the S variant has a nominal capacity of 41 kWh and enables a range of up to 70 kilometres. In the M variant, the nominal capacity is 83 kWh and the range is up to 140 kilometres. The L variant, as the most powerful package, offers a nominal capacity of 124 kWh and a range of up to 200 kilometres. This is far more than the distance usually covered per day in light distribution traffic. Recuperation can increase the range even further, while at the same time minimising charging breaks. In comparison, until now the eCanter has only had a battery option with a nominal capacity of 81 kWh and a range of up to 100 kilometres.
As far as battery charging is concerned, the Next Generation eCanter is compatible with all main voltages in the major markets. The charging unit supports charging with both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). The Combined Charging System CCS is the charging standard, and charging is possible at up to 104 kW. DC fast charging from 20 to 80 percent of capacity is possible in approximately 24 (S), 26 (M) and 39 minutes (L), depending on the battery pack. AC charging (11 and 22 kW) takes between around four and six hours, depending on the battery pack.
Satyakam Arya, Managing Director & CEO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles: “All our efforts are being put into achieving robust readiness for our future products that will feature CO2e-neutral propulsion technologies in the long term. The launch of the all-electric eCanter in India, within the next 6 to 12 months, is the first step in our long-term strategy to decarbonize our product portfolio. However, the reality is that diesel internal combustion engine (ICE) and CO2-neutral propulsion technologies will continue to co-exist in the Indian market for the foreseeable future. Therefore, our initial focus with the eCanter is to achieve product and service excellence, along with customer acceptance. Over the next two decades we will have a firm footing with decarbonized transportation solutions and will be making progress towards becoming a leader in sustainable transportation in India.”