Electric eCanter running in Bradford

By Categories: NewsPublished On: Thursday 1 July 2021

European logistics giant DB Schenker has put a battery-powered Fuso eCanter 7.5-tonne truck into service in Bradford. It is the first such vehicle that the company has operated in the UK.

Fitted with an En-Veco electric vehicle specific curtainside body built by Bevan Group, the eCanter is also equipped with a one-tonne Dhollandia tail-lift.

Engaged in a cycle of collections and deliveries that rarely see the overall weight of the vehicle drop below six tonnes as it covers a 90 km round, the eCanter is recharged overnight at the depot: its maximum range is claimed to be around 100 km.

Northside Truck & Van will maintain the eCanter in its Brad-ford workshop, under a four-year Mercedes-Benz Finance contract hire agreement.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK key account manager Brent Manning arranged for Stratford Energy Solutions, of Stratford upon Avon, to supply and install a 22 kW charging point at DB Schenker’s depot.

The Bradford-based vehicle is one of 36 eCanters that are being delivered to DB Schenker distribution centres across Europe to support the operator’s sustainability strategy and its leadership in the field of emission-free urban logistics. With five eCanters in service in France and Germany, DB Schenker is already Fuso’s largest electric fleet customer.

Fuso’s eCanter is the world’s first fully-electric light-duty truck to enter series production. Its electric drivetrain features six 13.8 kWh lithium-ion batteries, giving a total power output of 82.8 kWh (66 kWh usable). The permanent-magnet motor delivers 129 kW (180 hp) via a single-gear transmission in the rear axle.

DB Schenker fleet manager Dave Shepherd said: “With its compact footprint and impressive manoeuvrability, the eCanter is clearly well suited to inner-city deliveries.

“Not only does this vehicle offer the reliability and competitive running costs we need, but as legislation moves on, and ultra-low emission zones become more widespread, as well as stricter, it can help us to future-proof our delivery operation.

“The eCanter is certainly easy to use and our drivers like it. They’ve benefited from specialist training in the most efficient use of the braking regeneration function, which is helping us to get the maximum available range from the driveline.”

There are already 16 other eCanters in service with selected operators in the UK, and over 200 are running throughout the world.