Open Range

The mission Prime Mover chose to accept was to determine whether the renowned fuel efficiency of Scania’s sixpack powertrain can be harnessed with acceptable performance hauling a B-double with a gross combination mass (GCM) north of 60 tonnes on an undulating route east ofMelbourne. Considering most current multi-trailer prime movers sport 550 or 600hp ratings, ‘Is 500hp enough?’ seems a fair question to ask. Perhaps more to the point, ‘Is there a place in the Australian full-weight B-double (or dare we also mention A-double) market segment for 500hp prime movers? Of course, many variable factors must be taken into account, including average GCM and the extent of undulations on the route most travelled. It’s surprising, for example, how much difference a 55 tonne GCM compared with a 62.5 tonne GCM makes to the average speed of a combination on a long and steep climb. Interestingly though, making a decision on the horsepower rating alone could prove erroneous due to the fact that the torque rating often plays a more important role than outright horsepower in determining the suitability of a truck for a given role. To put things in perspective, a popular engine rating for linehaul B-doubles is 550hp and 1,850lbft (2,508Nm) of torque. In comparison, Scania’s G and R 500 variants deliver 500hp and 1,881lbft (2,550Nm) of torque. So, while at first glance the 550hp rating might sound more impressive, it is the torque produced in the lower reaches of the RPM band that actually hauls the truck up the hill more so than the horsepower. Therefore, all things being equal, with its extra 31lbft (42Nm) of torque delivered between the exceptionally low 1,000 and 1,350rpm, the 500hp Scanias could potentially outclass 550hp opponents on a climb. But as the old adage regarding human behaviour notes, perception is often interpreted as reality meaning many will continue to believe that higher horsepower equals better performance. It can be a similar story in the sensory realm whereby a vehicle that makes more noise can be easily perceived to have better performance than a quieter one. This is a factor that has traditionally worked against European trucks in the Australian market, particularly when compared with those originating from another part of the northern hemisphere where twin seven-inch chrome stacks were at one stage the signature feature of all-powerful prime movers. But time inevitably moves on and nowadays the quest to extract every ounce of bang from each precious litre of fuel, not to mention considerably lower emissions, has more or less overtaken the glitz and glam factor in terms of being the number one priority of most successful commercial haulage operations. With this in mind, Prime Mover settled into the premium black velour upholstered driver’s chair of an R 500 hitched to a curtain-side B-double set that according to a certified weighbridge docket was grossing precisely 60.7 tonnes. The docket also revealed ideal weight distribution with 6.4 tonnes on the steer, 16.3 tonnes on the drive and respective tri figures of 18.84 and 19.16 tonnes. This shows that the R 500 with its 3,825mm wheelbase is ideally suited to multicombination applications. Having started out from Scania’s Laverton branch, ahead lay a 379km round trip taking in the picturesque hills and dales HAVING TESTED A NUMBER OF V8-POWERED SCANIAS OUT FRONT OF HEAVY-WEIGHT B-DOUBLES OVER THE YEARS, PRIME MOVER WAS KEEN TO SAMPLE THE SIX-CYLINDER SCANIA NEW TRUCK GENERATION R 500 TO DISCERN WHETHER OR NOT IT HAS THE GOODS TO DELIVER IN THIS DEMANDING APPLICATION.

The R 500 offers a whisper quiet environment even under load.

of eastern Victoria from the Melbourne metro to Leongatha via Caldermeade. Importantly, every operational detail of the drive would be recorded by the inbuilt Scania Communicator C 300 telematics unit, providing an accurate fuel consumption figure and other vital data at the end of the journey. Moving off, it was impossible not to be impressed by the whisper quiet environment and ultra-refined yet well controlled ride thanks to the four-point airsuspended cab. The leather-bound steering wheel complete with a flat section at the bottom adds to the high-end European feel, somewhat belying the reality that we were, in fact, driving a heavy vehicle. Indeed, it’s hard to adequately describe in words the extent to which such a pleasant driver’s operating environment tends to mitigate the stress when guiding a 60-plus tonne multi-combination vehicle through hectic traffic situations. This notion was put to good test while surrounded by Melbourne’s morning peak mayhem, with the Scania’s sophisticated 14-speed Opticruise automated manual transmission – featuring a direct (1:1) top ratio – holding eighth gear at a steady 40km/h with 1,400rpm registering on the tacho during the climb up the Westgate Bridge. Once over the crest the R 3500 retarder and engine brake combo came to the fore, checking speed to 60km/h with no brake pedal intervention. Despite the fact that from here to the Burnley Tunnel it was

stop and start all the way, the powerful yet relaxed nature of all aspects of the Scania’s operation instilled a similar calmness into its driver. For instance, features like Eco-roll – which engages neutral to save fuel on the overrun – can be fully taken advantage of in heavy traffic if the driver accurately anticipates the ebb and flow rhythm of the traffic and backs off the throttle as early as possible. Flowing the vehicle along in this manner virtually negates the need for the service brakes except for the final few metres before a stop. Other standard active safety features such as lane departure warning (LDW), electronic stability control (ESC) and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) provide added peace-of-mind for the driver should an unforeseen circumstance arise. Upon entering the Burnley Tunnel, the powerful retarder reiterated its worth keeping velocity at 75km/h in 10th gear at 1,300rpm during the long descent. The subsequent climb at the other end saw the Scania hold 35km/h in seventh gear at 1,400rpm. As the trip unfolded through the vista of stunning scenery, it became clear that 1,400rpm was indeed the ‘sweet spot’ with this engine, not only when pulling hard up hills but also cruising quietly and effortlessly at 100km/h, thanks to a tall 3.42:1 final drive ratio. The lengthiest and steepest climb was in the mountainous Caldermeade district where a particularly sharp pinch caused the Scania to briefly drop into sixth gear, once again holding 1,400rpm and 25km/h until the grade levelled slightly, allowing it to grab seventh gear and claw its way back to 35km/h before the summit was reached. There were a couple of instances on the steepest sections where manual was selected to prevent an unwarranted upshift, but for the most part the Opticruise transmission gauged the conditions and selected the appropriate gear with impeccable precision. Another notable climb on the M420 heading back towards Melbourne near the Stud Road interchange saw the Scania hold steady at 70km/h in 11th gear at 1,200rpm. On the all-important topic of fuel consumption, during the outbound journey with relatively level running the dash display climbed steadily to peak at 2.0km/litre (5.65mpg) before receding somewhat as the mountainous regions took their toll. Still, the trip average of 1.87km/litre (5.28mpg), as recorded by the Communicator, was a commendable result given the demanding conditions of high GCM, heavy traffic and lots of climbing. Even more astonishing was the revelation that 20 per cent of the 379km trip – equating to 75.8km – had been completed in Eco-roll mode with the transmission neutralised, engine idling and using minimal fuel. Among other revelations, it reinforces the need for all drivers to be clued up on eco-driving techniques in order to exploit the full potential of Eco-roll and other fuel saving features incorporated into modern trucks. Put simply, being ignorant of such features is a sure path to higher fuel bills. Many fleets are also realising the benefit of providing financial incentives to their drivers if specific fuel consumption targets are met. These measures are the keys to maximising fuel efficiency and minimising whole-of-life costs for the operator. In the final wrap-up, the Scania R 500 passed with flying colours as a worthy contender for multi-combination roles with GCMs of up to 62.5 tonnes. Its attributes of sufficient performance, outstanding fuel consumption and supreme driver comfort and convenience add up to a package par excellence in the heavy-duty Australian truck market.

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September 2019

October 2019

® A U S T R A L A S I A’ S T R A I L E R I N D U S T R Y R E S O U R C E A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 CHAIN REACTION LINKING INDUSTRY WITH INNOVATION A U S T R A L A S I A’ S T R A I L E R I N D U S T R Y R E S O U R C E CHAIN REACTION LINKING INDUSTRY WITH INNOVATION ® A U S T R A L A S I A’ S T R A I L E R I N D U S T R Y R E S O U R C E S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 MAXIMUM GAINS BUILDING THE BEST AUSTRALIAN EQUIPMENT

Qube Logistics New Frontiers Qube Logistics New Frontiers Tow Trucks Brisbane First on the Scene

52 september 2017 Innovation Fleet: LogicHaul Test Drive: Hino 500 Sustainability: Michelin Automation: Goodyear ISSN 1838-2320 9 771838 232000 11 SEPTEMBER 2019 $11.00 Industry Fleet: McMahon Services Feature: Cabin Fever Movers & Shakers: Jim Temple Personality: Hugh McMaster T H E P E O P L E & P RO D U C TS T H AT M A K E T R A N S P O RT M OV E COVER STORY 26 december 2018 primemovermag.com.au 27 order to comply with more than the usual Commonwealth, State and local regulations and has resulted in an ultrahigh technology facility that is covered by 69 safety and security cameras and extensive on-site fire detection and fire fighting systems. The authorities are anxious to prevent any incidents that could affect the operation of the airport so there is a continuous sampling of air to detect any smoke and the entire fire and security system is tamper monitored. The warehouse has nine robotic doors, which will open in the event of a fire to vent any smoke. The warehouse has a footprint of 11,000 square metres of which 50 per cent is refrigerated in four different temperature zones using a very efficient refrigeration plant that utilises ammonia rather than the more common Freon. The move from QFS’s previous premises in Stafford required 5,000 pallets to be moved in a 72 hour period and as the QFS fleet needed to continue to deliver goods to customers, contractors were engaged to handle the 120 trailer loads of products. A distinct point of difference between QFS and other food service suppliers is the extensive and ever increasing range of gourmet items that it has available including boutique nonalcoholic beverages. The beverage sector is a growing market and drinks now account for around 10 per cent of sales with almost 700 different beverage products available. The warehouse holds bay after bay of food service products that are not readily available in retail supermarkets and are required by catering, hospitality and cooked food outlets. One of the advantages of expanding the beverage business is the opportunity to cross sell food service products to those on the beverage customers’ base. “With beverages we don’t deal with the chef as we often do with food products,” says Brian Saharin, QFS General Manager. “Instead we deal with the front of house.” This opens the possibility to provide ancillary items such as napkins, coasters and straws and customers who were predominantly beverage clients are now able to obtain food service products as well. This also translates into the opportunity for traditional food customers to amalgamate their beverage and food orders. QFS Company Director Guy Politi says that there is a trend in demand towards some higher quality food and beverages. “It can be tomato paste from Italy or cooking oil from Malaysia. We import a lot of quality gourmet products such as flour, rice and confectionery,” Guy says. The truck brand of choice at QFS is Hino, mostly the wide body 500 Series with 260 horsepower engines and Allison automatic transmissions. Trucks that have entered the QFS fleet as assets of various business acquisitions will be progressively replaced with more Hinos to join the 39 Hinos that are already in the fleet. The decision to adopt Hino as W hen company CEO Frank DePasquale established Quality Food Services (QFS) in 1988 the two main products were lasagne and hot dogs and were mostly sold to school canteens. Today QFS has a range of over 7,000 products, which it delivers to businesses such as restaurants, pubs, clubs, hotels, cafes, and aged care facilities. And QFS continues to supply a wide range of products to approximately 800 schools. Providing direct service to an area extending from Cooroy on the Sunshine Coast to Ballina in northern New South Wales, and west to Toowoomba, QFS is also involved in providing food services to remote mining camps using sub-contractors. During late 2018, in order to handle the volume and to cater for future growth, QFS moved into its purpose designed and built warehouse and administration facility located in Pinkenba in close vicinity to Brisbane Airport. By being directly under the flight path the location presented some unique challenges in QUALITY FOOD SERVICES IS BASED IN BRISBANE AND PROVIDES THE IMPORTANT LINK BETWEEN FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANUFACTURERS AND THEIR WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS. HINO’S WIDE BODY 500 TRUCKS ARE THEIR VEHICLES OF CHOICE FOR THE EXPANDING DELIVERY FLEET. SUPPLYING The truck brand of choice at QFS is Hino, mostly the wide body 500 Series with 260 horsepower engines and Allison automatic transmissions. THE WALLS AND WHEELS Hino 500 series with a 260hp engine. 9 771838 232000 T H E P E O P L E & P RO D U C TS T H AT M A K E T R A N S P O RT M OV E FLEET primemovermag.com.au 35 S tarting off with a single office in Parramatta, NSW, Pack & Send has evolved into a national delivery heavyweight that can draw on more than 100 service centres Australiawide and was recognised as the Australian Franchisor of the Year in 2007 by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Franchise Council of Australia. Now also present in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, Pack & Send is considered a leading force in the transport franchise game. Prime Mover met founder Michael Paul, who has been serving as CEO of the company since its incorporation in February 1993. Q: Pack & Send has been around for a while now. Is the 2016 business still comparable to the one 22 years ago – for example, is parcel delivery still the core of the business? A: The Pack & Send business has changed tremendously since 1993. We started it before the notion of e-commerce, or even the Internet, was in the vernacular, so there has been a significant shift in the way we function. But our mission has always been the same – providing convenient access to a wide range of solutions when sending anything, anywhere. The types of services we can offer are now more varied, though – from traditional domestic and international import and export work to more modern services, like supporting eBay and online retailers in delivering their products to customers. Q: How did the parcel delivery industry change since the early days? With Toll IPEC, Star Track and emerging online services like Sendle on the scene, the competition must be fierce. A: The parcel delivery industry has evolved with the times. For example, customers today expect that a fundamental requirement of parcel delivery services is an online ‘track and trace’ function that provides a real time delivery status. When we started in 1993, no parcel carrier in Australia had that capability as the technology wasn’t yet in place. You had to phone the carrier to find out exactly where your parcel was – and you usually got a response the next day. In the early days, deliveries were also primarily B2B and very few deliveries were made to households. The growth of e-commerce has changed that, with significantly more B2C deliveries. In line with that, the competition has also changed – for example, where Pack & Send once relied either on customers walking in store or phoning us to send their goods, we are now developing new and THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO OPERATE A TRANSPORT BUSINESS IN AUSTRALIA, BUT THE FRANCHISE MODEL IS STILL COMPARATIVELY RARE. MOOREBANK-BASED PACK & SEND HAS PERFECTED THE CONCEPT. THE FLIGHT CENTRE OF PARCEL DELIVERY

FAST FACT According to Pack & Send CEO, Michael Paul, the company’s franchise model is key to ensuring a ‘premium service’ experience. “Our franchisees are our movers and shakers. They’re the faces of the overall business, and of their individual businesses too. As members of the communities they service, they play an integral role in the local marketing of Pack & Send,” he says. In contrast, the role of the franchisor is to provide franchisees with a solid foundation of business systems, or “small business with the tools of a big business,” as Michael puts it. 34 february 2016 Interview by Sebastian Grote Innovation Fleet: LogicHaul Test Drive: Hino 500 Sustainability: Michelin Automation: Goodyear Industry Fleet: McMahon Services Feature: Cabin Fever Movers & Shakers: Jim Temple Personality: Hugh McMaster T H E P E O P L E & P RO D U C TS T H AT M A K E T R A N S P O RT M OV E Innovation Fleet: Haulaway Test Drive: Kenworth T410 Final Mile: Toyota HiAce Electric Vehicles: Goodyear ISSN 1838-2320 9 771838 232000 01 SEPTEMBER 2019 $11.00 Industry Fleet: OzWide Freight Feature: Paths of Glory Liquid Waste: Fuso Heavy Personality: Chris Loose T H E P E O P L E & P RO D U C TS T H AT M A K E T R A N S P O RT M OV E

S H O W C A S I N G T H E V E R Y B E S T A U S T R A L A S I A N T R A I L E R A N D B O D Y T E C H N O L O G Y ISSN 1838-2312 9 771838 231003 07 AUGUST 2019 $10.00 M E T A L S P E C I A L T I P P E R S T R A I L E R B U I L D E R E C O N O M Y N E W S I N D U S T R Y I C O N Modern Road T anker A N D E Q U I P M E N T N E W S S H O W C A S I N G T H E V E R Y B E S T A U S T R A L A S I A N T R A I L E R A N D B O D Y T E C H N O L O G Y N E W S TRAILER BUILDER Spreading the word PBS SPECIAL High cubic combination S H O W C A S I N G T H E V E R Y B E S T A U S T R A L A S I A N T R A I L E R A N D B O D Y T E C H N O L O G Y M E T A L S P E C I A L I N D U S T R Y I C O N S H O W C A S I N G T H E V E R Y B E S T A U S T R A L A S I A N T R A I L E R A N D B O D Y T E C H N O L O G Y ISSN 1838-2312 9 771838 231003 08 SEPTEMBER 2019 $10.00 T R A I L E R B U I L D E R 2019 RIGID BODY BUILDER SHOWCASE E C O N O M Y T O W C O U P L I N G S R I G I D B O D I E S W O R L D M A P I N D U S T R Y L E A D E R S

TO SUPPORT AUSTRALIA’S GROWING FREIGHT TASK, KRUEGER TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT HAS JUST PUT THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON A NEW PBS B-DOUBLE REFRIGERATED DOUBLE DROP DECK COMBINATION.

Krueger Transport Equipment is a trailer manufacturer with a distinct sense for key industry trends, and Performance-Based Standards (PBS) is no exception. “PBS is a trending topic in transport and every operator is either getting on board with high productivity vehicle design or at least strongly considering adding that type of equipment to their fl eet,” says National Sales Manager, Grant Krueger. “To be able to provide them with the best support on that journey, we’ve dedicated ourselves to growing our PBS offering.” Drawing on ample experience in PBS vehicle design – Krueger has built numerous PBSapproved skels, curtain-siders and B-double drop decks, as well as Super B-doubles in the past – one model that has been in particularly high demand recently is the company’s 36-pallet, high-cubic double drop deck B-double with mezzanine decks, Grant says. drop decks, as well as Super B-doubles in the past – one model that has been in particularly high demand recently is the company’s 36-pallet, high-cubic double drop deck B-double with mezzanine decks, Grant says. The next logical step, he adds, is the launch of a refrigerated double version of the best selling model. “This is a fi rst for us,” says Grant. “Designing this combination was all about pushing the innovation bar higher, which meant reducing the

tare weight of the trailer and giving fl eet operators more clearance space to work with inside and out.” Krueger’s PBS refrigerated double drop deck B-double measures 4.6 metres high and 2.5m wide, allowing for excess cubic space that operators can use to ramp up payloads. It has a cubic capacity of 190m³, with 75m³ in the A and 116m³ in the B-trailer. Grant explains, “Under the PBS framework, PBS is a trending topic in transport and every operator is either getting on board with high productivity vehicle design or at least strongly considering adding that type of equipment to their fl eet. with inside and out.” Krueger’s PBS refrigerated double drop deck B-double measures 4.6 metres high and 2.5m wide, allowing for excess cubic space in the A and 116m³ in the B-trailer. Grant explains, “Under the PBS framework, PBS is a trending topic in transport and every operator is either getting on board with high productivity vehicle design or at least strongly considering adding that type of equipment to

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Trailer Magazine DECEMBER 15Trailer Magazine DECEMBER 15

Krueger’s latest PBS build is a hybrid between a standard curtain-sider in the front and a refi rgerated one in the back, both PBS-optimised for maximum payload.

we wanted to offer our customers even more space and fl exibility, making for a solid productivity plus. We again use our 36-pallet, 4.6m design as a base, which 36-pallet, 4.6m design as a base, which

allows for maximum cubic, full-height loading, with the ability to achieve general loads and mass loading without the usual 10 per cent payload reduction.” One of the fi rst customers to embrace the new design has ordered a hybrid version, says Grant, with the A-trailer non-refrigerated and the B-trailer set-up as a refrigerated curtain-sider. According to Grant, Krueger has made signifi cant upgrades to both the A and B-trailer for the hybrid unit. “Both trailers feature low profi le mezzanine decks (58mm on the front deck and 100mm on the rear lower decks, ed.), allowing for extra loading space that provides more loading capacity for the customer, particularly for forklift drivers loading pallets,” he notes. “In addition, we have fi tted perforated division sheets between the drops of the trailer to this build to provide additional air fl ow and circulation and assist operators in side shifting pallets. They also provide load restraint when braking.” Regardless of the set-up, the PBS refrigerated combination will generate plenty of excitement amongst many high volume freight operators heading into 2016, Grant predicts. “The bottom line is this combination is designed to

Contact Krueger Transport Equipment 275 Fitzgerald Road Derrimut VIC 3030 Ph: 03 9366 2133 Web: www.krueger.com.au maximise freight capacity and also minimise downtime, with daily loading and unloading going much faster,” he explains. “With each customer that orders a PBS unit, we’ll have our engineers sit down with them, or visit their facilities, to get an idea of what freight will be on board, how frequently the trailers are used and what roads the drivers will use. Information like this is crucial when building any trailer that runs on PBS.” Going forward, Krueger’s focus will be on adding to its portfolio across the board, while also solidifying its position as a PBS powerhouse. “Krueger is all about developing effective, effi cient and high productivity transport solutions and that’s what the new PBS B-double refrigerated double drop deck combination represents,” Grant adds. “The unit is designed to deliver huge productivity gains that will help increase a company’s profi t margins. For maximum safety, we have also added our patent pending, OHSfriendly Self Lifting Gate system.”

www.trailermag.com.au

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FOR AUSTRALIA POST, SAFETY IS AT THE HEART OF ALL OF ITS OPERATIONS, AND THE SAFETY OF ITS PEOPLE COMES FIRST. WITH ITS LATEST DELIVERY OF B-DOUBLES FROM VAWDREY AUSTRALIA, THE COMPANY IS TAKING THIS MESSAGE TO THE STREETS, AIMING TO SPREAD THE WORD AND ENCOURAGE SAFE DRIVER HABITS AMONG ROAD USERS AROUND THE NATION.

The freight task of Australia Post is enormous. The company sends millions of letters and parcels to millions of people across Australia and around the world. Australia Post, together with its StarTrack business, operates a fleet comprised of over 16,500 pieces of equipment, including prime movers, rigids, vans, motorcycles and approximately 4,500 trailers. A number of posties are injured in motor vehicle accidents each week – and Australia Post aims to bring that number down to zero. Its new ‘Stay alert – There’s a life riding on it’ campaign is urging the public to be more vigilant in a bid to curb the number of posties injured on their motorcycles at work, encouraging drivers to slow down and remove distractions while they are behind the wheel. Australia Post’s recent trailer order of 10 new B-doubles from Vawdrey, delivered in September, are serving as mobile billboards, spreading this message as they travel along their routes between Brisbane and Sydney, and Sydney and Melbourne. “There is a large number of posties on the road every day, delivering our mail on motorcycles. And there are many injuries that are occurring on a regular basis. Australia Post has decided to use these new trailers to spread our road safety message to the public, serving as a reminder to help keep our motorcyclists safe. These are the first trailers to wear this new safety message, but people can expect to see a lot more of it in coming months,” explains Terry Bickerton,

National Manager of Fleet for the Australia Post Group. Vawdrey has built more than half of the national Australia Post trailer fleet, and is the manufacturer of choice when it comes to tautliners. It’s a business partnership that has stood the test of time, extending for more than 30 years. “Vawdrey understands our business and Australia Post understands theirs, in terms of what we can achieve from a productivity perspective and from a timeframe perspective,” adds Terry. “Safety is our number one core value and we don’t compromise on it. That’s part of the reason we only purchase equipment from major manufacturers. We choose our suppliers

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Vawdrey has built more than half of the national Australia Post fleet.

based around the safety features they can incorporate into our equipment, the large volumes they are capable of producing and their ability to satisfy all of our requirements. “Vawdrey is quite a progressive company from a safety and an innovation perspective. They are always pushing the boundaries in terms of what can be done. They are a very progressive business with regards to producing higher productivity and PBS trailers. With more and more online orders, our freight task continues to grow, so we are moving very large volumes of product.” Thanks to PBS, Australia Post has been introducing a growing number of higher productivity vehicles into the fleet. “This sort of innovation means we can move more freight with less vehicles, helping to get more vehicles off the road. We work within the limits of what the current legislation allows, but we need manufacturers that can

Terry Bickerton, Paul Vawdrey and James Dixon.

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SILEN CE THE SOUNDS OF

At this point it is universally recognised that electric vehicles are the way of the very near future as the costs of petroleum fuels increase due to supply and demand factors and the declining stocks of oil. The Fus o eCanter project may only be in its infancy here in Australia with just the one assessment vehicle arriving to date, but the program started life as far back as 2015 with a public test program of the Canter E-Cell prototype. The eCanter has an advantage over most other electric truck developments which use cab and chassis platforms obtained from different OEMs, as the Fuso product utilises proven in-house architecture and engineering supported by the global resources of the entire Daimler car and truck network. The result of this homogenous manufacturing approach is very evident in many details of the eCanter. The all-electric Fuso presents as a complete and integrated proprietary package rather than various bits and pieces that have been cobbled together by a third party ‘manufacturer’ sometimes without the support or even knowledge of the organisation from which the rolling cab chassis is sourced. The eCanter will be doing the rounds of appropriate local fleets and operators and has a GVM of 7,500kgs, with a payload of at least 3,000kgs available with this particular body which is more than sufficient for the type of metropolitan parcel delivery application envisaged for the eventual production models. The electric motor delivers 135kW (181hp) of power and 390Nm (288 ft/ lbs) of torque and drives the rear wheels using a conventional tail shaft and hypoid differential rear axle. One distinct benefit of electric drive is maximum power and torque are delivered from zero rpm and the acceleration is quite stunning. Electrical storage is handled by six Daimler-sourced liquid cooled lithium ion battery packs with two mounted on the outside of each chassis rails and a double deck pack located between the rails in the space where a transmission would be in a conventional driveline. The combined storage has a maximum of 82.8kWh, which is enough for more than 100 kilometers of normal driving. Our test around the suburbs of Melbourne covered more than 80 kilometres, including stop-start operations in heavy traffic and probably too much enjoyment of the acceleration capabilities of the eCanter and the range prediction section of the dash was still forecasting another potential 40 kilometres before requiring a recharge. In real world circumstances that will realistically equate to a full shift of parcel deliveries in a metropolitan environment. Instead of a tachometer, the speedo is complemented by an analogue instrument that indicates the most efficient application of the accelerator pedal, as well as when the driveline switches to charge mode when on over-run. It’s not unlike similar gauges in hybrid vehicles but is a lot less complicated. This particular vehicle retains the Japanese style cable socket so a connector suitable to local three-phase outlets is used. Full charge can be achieved in less than two hours using a DC charger or four hours using AC charging. There may also be the opportunity for ‘topping up’ during the d ay which can be as practical as connecting to a charge point while loading at a delivery centre dock or at a convenient and suitable power outlet while the driver takes a meal break. Recharging also occurs when no pressure is applied to the accelerator and the truck is able to go into over-run mode which as well as adding to the stored electrical energy in the batteries, provides a noticeable drive line braking effect. To complement the acceleration capabilities of the electric driveline the eCanter is also fitted with a retarder function operated using the same steering column stalk as an exhaust brake would do on a diesel powered Canter. When activated this function signals the motor to provide WHILE FULLY ELECTRIC POWER BECOMES MORE COMMONPLACE IN THE PASSENGER VEHICLE SPACE, AND START-UP CORPORATIONS, WITH THEIR MUCH-HYPED CONCEPTS, WORK TOWARDS DELIVERING UPON THEIR AMBITIOUS PREDICTIONS IN HEAVY PRIME MOVER-STYLE APPLICATIONS, FUSO HAS TAPPED INTO THE RESOURCES OF ITS PARENT DAIMLER TO DEVELOP A PRACTICAL ALL-ELECTRIC LIGHT-MEDIUM DUTY TRUCK.