Logistics giant now operates nearly one-fifth of Fuso’s total eCanter fleet
Global logistics firm DB Schenker provides an example of a growing appetite for light electric trucks as it adds 36 Fuso eCanters to its operations in 11 European countries.
DB Schenker will use the all-electric trucks with an output of 129kW and a payload of up to 3.2 tonnes for urban distribution in major European cities.
With this order, the eCanter makes its debut in Finland, Austria, Spain and Italy.
DB Schenker has already been using the eCanter in Berlin since 2018, delivering packaged goods in the city centre, and in 2019 expanded with vehicles in Paris, Frankfurt and the Stuttgart area.
The trucks have a range of at least 100 kilometres and are able to cover the requirements of DB Schenker’s inner-city distribution needs, Fuso parent company Daimler notes.
The vehicles are charged overnight either with alternating current or direct current charger, though charging can be reduced to around 90 minutes if a high-speed charger is used.
Daimler is set to put the Fuso eCanter on the local market in February 2021
“DB Schenker is a pioneer for innovations in logistics, and now we are becoming the leading provider of green logistics. We focus on sustainability, from the first to the last mile,” DB Schenker head of land transport Europe Cyrille Bonjean says.
“Emission-free logistics in cities is already possible today, as we are demonstrating throughout Europe together with Fuso and the new eCanter.
“We are proud that we were able to secure a significant portion of the eCanter production run from this year for us.
“What that means for our customers: they continue to get the same service but with zero local emissions.”
This announcement represents the biggest eCanter fleet deal to date, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) and head of Daimler Trucks Asia (DTA) Hartmut Schick says.
“We are very happy to take our partnership with DB Schenker to the next level with these 36 locally emission-free Fuso eCanter trucks.
“Together, we are taking a further step in electrifying urban logistics, contributing to decreased noise and air pollution in major cities across eleven European countries.
“I would like to thank DB Schenker for their continued trust in Fuso on our shared mission towards CO2-neutral transportation.”
DB Schenker becomes Fuso’s largest electric fleet customer with a total of 41 eCanters in daily operations, taking Fuso’s global eCanter fleet to more than 200 in 14 countries.
Series production of the next-generation eCanter with improved range and technology is expected in the first half of this decade, Daimler adds.