Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation (MFTBC) has launched the world’s first all-electric truck in series production, the Fuso eCanter, in the US.

MFTBC is a member of the Daimler group.

The Fuso eCanter is a light-duty truck and will be delivered to customers starting this year in the US, Europe and Japan.

MFTBC is planning to deliver 500 units of this generation to customers within the next two years. Larger-scale production is scheduled to start in 2019.

“In times when everybody is talking about electric trucks, we are the first to actually commercialise a series-produced all-electric truck,” says MFTBC president and CEO Marc Llistosella. “Our Fuso eCanter comes with years of customer testing, and the assurance of parts, services and a warranty through our global Fuso dealership network.”

He adds that the eCanter addresses the increasing global demand for products to meet high emission standards.

“It offers an attractive and cost-effective alternative to combustion engines and makes electric trucks key to the future of inner-city distribution.”

The first eCanters will be delivered to package company UPS and four New York City-based nongovernmental organisations.

At UPS, the zero-emission trucks will add to the more than 8 500 alternative drivetrain vehicles in service at the company.

In coordination with the office of New York attorney-general Eric Schneiderman, Fuso will also supply a fleet of eCanter trucks to the Wildlife Conservation Society, the New York Botanical Garden, Habitat for Humanity New York City and Big Reuse Brooklyn.

The eCanter has a range of 100 km and a load capacity of up to 3.5 t – depending on body and use.

The vehicle’s electric powertrain contains six high-voltage lithium-ion battery packs of 420 V and 13.8 kWh each.

Compared with a conventional diesel truck, the eCanter offers savings on operating costs of up to €1 000 per 10 000 km, says MFTBC.

Fuso presented the first prototype of an electrically powered Canter in 2010, with pre- series production for testing purposes starting in 2014.

This was followed by customer trials in Portugal and Germany between 2014 and 2017.

In May this year, MFTBC announced its first commercial customer for the new series production vehicle in the Japanese market, with Seven-Eleven to operate 25 eCanters.

Meanwhile, the first charging station in Japan has been unveiled and production at the Portugal plant has started. Assembly of the eCanter is fully integrated into the production line of the conventional combustion Fuso Canter truck.

The Tramagal production plant will assemble all eCanter vehicles for the European and US markets.