A Look at the Newly Unveiled Fuso All-Electric Truck for Students in Dispatch Schools
The Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation started its public journey of developing an all-electric truck back in 2010 when it unveiled a prototype of an e-cell at the Tokyo Motor Show. Over the next several years, the prototype underwent many tests in countries including Japan, Portugal, and Germany. After promising results, Mitsubishi Fuso announced the impending release of the vehicle in American, European, and Japanese markets. Fuso’s president and CEO Jecka Glasman shares:
“[The eCanter] delivers up to a 100-mile range, with zero emissions and zero noise pollution–what we call positive energy. We’ve had preliminary conversations with multiple customers and they are enthusiastic about the possibilities this new truck represents.”
Read on to learn more about the Fuso eCanter fully electric truck.
Students in Dispatch Schools Will Find the Fuso eCanter’s Specs Impressive
Mitsubishi Fuso is no stranger to developing eco-friendly vehicles. It already has one eco hybrid light-duty truck on the market, and the new Fuso all-electric eCanter will make an excellent addition to the vehicle lineup by becoming the world’s first completely electric light-duty vehicle. The truck boasts 150 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. It weighs in at 13,230 lbs. and has a payload capacity, the amount of passenger and cargo weight it can hold, of 6,470 lbs.
The eCanter has four 390-volt batteries to thank for its power and range. However, Fuso allows purchasers to select the number of battery packs they would like in the truck. As transportation operations program graduates may already know, more batteries equals more power, but with extra batteries comes a smaller payload capacity because of the added weight. The eCanter can recharge fully in just seven hours using a 230-volt charger. For a faster charging option, drivers can hook the vehicle up to a quick charger that charges the battery to 80 per cent in about an hour. Check out the video below for a quick look at the eCanter:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz3wsm16IHo?ecver=1]
What Students in Dispatch Schools Should Know about the Fuso’s Capabilities
The eCanter’s range of more than 100 kilometres makes it a perfect light-duty vehicle for driving in urban and city environments. While it will likely be many years before manufacturers develop a truck capable of driving long distances on a single charge, the eCanter is perfect for short distance trips.
During the eCanter’s extensive testing period, most operators were able to get a full day’s use out of the vehicle before it needed to be charged again. The eCanter was thoroughly tested while being driven for a variety of uses. Two eCanter vehicles were used for construction and landscaping, another two were used for furniture transport and waste disposal, and the last two were used to deliver parcels. The testing revealed impressive results.
How Students in Dispatch Schools May See the Fuso Become an Industry Game Changer
The results discovered during the testing process are promising enough to drastically change the game for the light-duty urban vehicle market. During the fleet’s first year-long test in Portugal, companies saw a reduction in operating costs by a staggering 64 per cent! This is equivalent to about 1000 Euros (or approximately 1500 CAD) of savings for each 10,000 kilometres travelled.
Companies operating an eCanter fleet can expect their maintenance costs to be about 30 per cent lower than those operating a fleet of diesel trucks, making operations much more efficient—exciting news for students enrolled in dispatch schools. These savings could significantly reduce costs and improve profit margins for transportation companies. According to Mitsubishi Fuso, the additional cost of purchasing an eCanter can be recuperated in just three years because of the eCanter’s incredibly low operating and fuel costs.
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