At the Bauma trade fair, the Daimler truck subsidiary Fuso presented a version of its eCanter electric truck optimized for the construction industry. The all-electric truck with a capacity of up to 8.55 tonnes will in future also be offered with bodies suitable for construction sites – such as a roll-off tipper from Unsinn, a dump truck from Meiller and a crane from Atlas.
The basis for the construction site vehicles is the new generation of the eCanter, which Fuso presented at an event in Japan shortly before the IAA Transportation in September. In addition to the 7.5-ton truck with which we are familiar, the successor model will advance in weight classes from 4.25 to 8.55 tons. Along with that, the choice of wheelbases and battery options is growing. Specifically, the wheelbase varies by more than two meters: The minimum is 2.5 meters, the maximum 4.75 meters. Depending on the space available, three battery options are available: Low-wheelbase vehicles can be ordered with a single 41.3 kWh battery module and a corresponding range of up to 80 km. Medium-sized variants can accommodate two battery modules, and large variants even have three battery modules. The analogue ranges are 140 and 200 km respectively. All battery options rely on LFP cells.
The Next Generation eCanter is powered by either a 110 kW (variants with gross weights of 4.25 and 6 tons) or 129 kW (variants with gross weights of 7.49 and 8.55 tons) electric motor with an optimized driveline and 430 Nm of torque; maximum speed is 89 km/h.
Daimler Truck sees this diversity as the advantage of being able to find “the ideal basis for almost any body.” “Both the Next Generation eCanter and its conventional brother Canter can tackle and transport bulk material or machines such as the excavator needed on the construction site as well as skips or containers with a wide variety of bodies,” the manufacturer’s statement says. And: A mechanical power take-off is optionally available to supply hydraulic aggregates.
To demonstrate this diversity, Daimler Truck has brought several vehicles to the trade fair in Munich. The Next Generation eCanter exhibited at the Fuso booth B439 (Hall B4) is an 8.55-ton truck equipped for the first time with a roll-off tipper from Unsinn as well as a mechanical power take-off and has a chassis load capacity of 5,135 kg. The payload is 3,635 kg. The vehicle with comfort single cab (3 seats) has a wheelbase of 3,400 millimeters and is equipped with the M battery package, which enables a range of up to 140 kilometers. On the outside, a conventionally powered Canter is set up as a 7.49-tonner with a three-way tipper from Meiller and a crane from Atlas.
“With our Next Generation eCanter, shown for the first time with a roll-off tipper, we are underlining that the advantages of the Fuso Canter for the construction industry are also fully reflected in the electrified version,” says Philipp Panter, Head of Sales, Marketing & Customer Service at Fuso Europe. “Thanks to their robustness and variability, the Next Generation eCanter and the new Fuso Canter are ideally suited for the construction industry. Together with our bodybuilders, we can implement a wide range of applications in both vehicles.”
Daniel Rauch, business unit manager for roll-off systems at Unsinn Fahrzeugtechnik, emphasizes that the eCanter is the first vehicle in its weight class in Europe with a roll-off system body. “For us, the premiere represents an important milestone in the company’s history, because it was the first time we had supported a project in electric mobility. It was a major technological development step towards the future,” Rauch said.
A brief look at the technical data that Fuso did not provide at the premiere of the eCanter in September: The charging standard is CCS, which is widely used in Europe, and charging is possible at up to 104 kW. DC fast charging from 20 to 80 per cent of capacity is possible in about 24 (S), 26 (M) and 39 minutes (L), depending on the battery pack; AC charging (11 and 22 kW) takes between about four and six hours, depending on the battery pack.
Incidentally, Daimler Truck will not only be represented by the Fuso eCanter at Bauma. Heavier e-trucks from the Mercedes-Benz brand will also be on display in Munich – for example in the form of specially prepared prototypes of the eActros LongHaul and the Arocs, as well as an eActros with an electrified roll-off tipper.
With reporting by Sebastian Schaal, Germany.
Keyword: Fuso introduces eCanter variants with construction functions