3 minute read
SHORT ’N SWEET
It is becoming increasingly apparent that electric trucks are the future for local delivery work and, right now, Fuso’s eCanter is at the forefront of this emerging revolution in urban freight movement. Still, the onus is entirely on suppliers such as Fuso and its Daimler masters to prove the worth of their electric candidates. That might be easier said than done. Steve Brooks writes
SOMETIMES, things just don’t go the way you expect. Like, it was supposed to be a simple, short suburban drive of Fuso’s recently released electric eCanter in Sydney’s west. A refresh, of sorts, of what we’d already experienced in previous stints, first in a Japanese prototype on Fuso’s test track and then, in late 2019, behind the wheel of an early evaluation unit through the streets of Melbourne.
What wasn’t expected, however, was that the Sydney stint would be quite so short.
Someone, apparently, had forgotten to flick the switch the night before and, rather than a full charge, the dash ‘distance predictor’ said there was only 58km-worth of charge in the batteries, rather than the reported ‘full charge’ potential of 100km.
Still, it was at least a worthwhile exercise to some extent. Fuso’s claim, for example, is that eCanter’s driving range is determined on carrying a full load at the vehicle’s gross vehicle mass of 7.5 tonnes. In effect, the 100km range is the minimum distance potential operating at near or close to full load.
It’s reasonable to accept Fuso’s claim for the simple reason that, as a local delivery truck goes about its daily workload, it loses weight as freight progressively comes off. Thus, actual driving range is probably greater than 100km.
As soon revealed, the same reasoning can be applied to a partially-charged range potential of, let’s say, 58km.
Suburban steer
From Fuso’s Huntingwood dealership in western Sydney, and with gross weight at 6.5 tonnes, the demo truck was poked into a typical suburban slurry of baulking traffic, traffic lights and congestion. Nonetheless, all the good things we’d come to expect of the electric Canter from previous drives were again there to be appreciated, not least the realisation that driving a local delivery truck in metro mayhem just doesn’t get any easier than this.
Sure, it takes a little while to come to grips with the fact that, other than the radio, there’s basically no noise apart from the drone of rubber on the road. But the big thing is the smoothness of a truck with no engine and no transmission other than an electric motor driving into a singlespeed diff. At first, you’re waiting for gearshifts that never come but it doesn’t take long to settle into the sensation of completely uninterrupted progress from go to whoa, and whoa to go.
What’s more, acceleration is stunningly brisk for a light-duty truck while at the other end of the performance spectrum, retardation through a two-stage regenerative braking system is incredibly strong.
Like its diesel counterparts, though, the more you push the ‘go’ pedal, the more fuel (battery charge) you consume and it definitely pays to drive conservatively to maximise range.
Speaking of which, it didn’t take long to consume 58km-worth of battery charge and, with the trip meter showing 57.6km and the truck’s range gauge almost on nil, it’s fair to suggest the eCanter slid back into the Huntingwood site with very little left in the tank, so to speak.
Of course, driving range remains eCanter’s Achilles heel but as we’ve commented before, when this pushes out to 200km and more as it most surely will, given the pace of developments in battery technology and electric propulsion – notably with the inclusion of hydrogen-based fuel cells to increase driving range – a whole new level of acceptance and appreciation will come into play.
Likewise, recharging systems and infrastructure are key elements which will take time and commitment from many institutions to reach satisfactory levels for commercial vehicles, but given the economies of scale in the density of major cities, demand will drive investment. As it always does.
Critically, though, someone needs to remember to flick the switch.
Above: Canter’s cab has been significantly improved over the years but, in the electric version, driving ease is brilliant. Still, it’s worth paying attention to the dash readout, particularly regarding driving range
