eCanter ignites enthusiasm at Calor
An electric-powered Fuso eCanter is now delivering bottled gas for Calor in central London.
The 7-5-tonne truck is working out of the company’s Wandsworth depot, and frequently enters the capital’s ultra low emission zone.
The eCanter is the world’s first fully electric light-duty truck in series production. It has a body and payload allowance of up to 4.5 tonnes and offers cost savings worth as much as €1,000 for every 10,000 kilometres covered, compared to a dieselengined truck.
The electric drivetrain with permanentmagnet motor employs six 420 V 13.8 kWh lithium-ion batteries, and delivers 129 kW (180 hp) via a single-gear transmission in the rear axle. Calor’s eCanter is fitted with a dropside rail body by SB Components of Wisbech.
It typically starts the day carrying its maximum payload of 2,370 kg, and remains loaded throughout the day as filled gas bottles are replaced with empty returns. The eCanter’s claimed range is over 100 km, but Calor’s truck usually covers around half of that, and it is conveniently recharged overnight at the depot.
Driver Alexandru Nechita reports: “The eCanter is so smooth. The pick-up from a standing start is really strong and it pulls away easily. The lack of noise or vibration in the cab is noticeable too, and makes for a much more relaxing drive.”
It is one of just 16 such trucks in the UK, with the initial 10 having been delivered to three UK operators in 2018. The remaining six, including Calor’s, arrived in the country late last year.
Calor’s national vehicle engineering manager Alan Harrison said: “At Calor we like to move quickly to adopt any new technology that can help our business. The Fuso eCanter is a perfect example – it reduces the impact of our operations on the environment, while also making sound financial sense.
“It’s perfectly suited to inner-city deliveries. As legislation moves on, and with ultra-low emission zones becoming more widespread, as well as stricter, this important new truck can help us to future-proof our delivery operation, while also offering the reliability and competitive running costs we need.”
