German automaker Daimler AG on Thursday delivered its first fully electric trucks to companies in Europe, as the global race to mass produce the first generation of “green” trucks heats up.
Among the first customers for Daimler’s Fuso eCanter light-weight truck was express delivery service DHL, which said it would use its six vehicles to navigate Berlin’s inner-city traffic.
The keys to eight other eCanter trucks were handed over to German logistics and transport firms DB Schenker, Rhenus and Dachser.
“With the Fuso eCanter our customers now operate not only quietly and without locally emitted CO2, they also save money on operating costs,” Daimler Trucks Asia head Marc Llistosella said.
“This is the future of urban distribution transport,” he said.
With a load-bearing capacity of 4 tonnes, the eCanter is equipped with six batteries and has a range of 100km, the Mercedes Benz parent company said.
Package-shipping giant UPS Corp has put eCanter trucks on the road in the US, while in Japan convenience-store chain Seven-Eleven Japan Co Ltd and Yamato Transport Co Ltd are each to operate 25 of the trucks, Daimler said.
Large-scale production of the fully electric, zero-emissions truck is set to begin in 2019.
The announcement comes as automakers and tech firms worldwide jostle for dominance in the rush to meet a growing demand for clean, quiet delivery trucks as cities grapple with smog and noise.
Tesla Inc last month unveiled an all-electric semi-truck that it billed as quicker and more economical than today’s diesel-powered trucks.
It can travel 800km between charges, but production is not set to start until 2019, with the first deliveries slated for 2020.
Volkswagen AG, Nikola Motor Co and Swedish start-up Einride are also among the pioneers in developing electric truck prototypes, some equipped with autonomous driving functions and futuristic designs.
Daimler did not disclose the price of its eCanter, but said the vehicle offered “savings up to 1,000 euros [US$1,178.29] per 10,000km on operating costs” in comparison with conventional trucks.
Models destined for European and US clients are to be produced in Tramagal, Portugal.
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