Daimler: Electric Delivery Trucks, Vans on the Way for U.S.
The Fuso eCanter shown at IAA displays a little more pizazz for the show, including a redesigned interior showcasing connectivity functions. Photo: Deborah Lockridge
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The Fuso eCanter shown at IAA displays a little more pizazz for the show, including a redesigned interior showcasing connectivity functions. Photo: Deborah Lockridge
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Daimler plans to introduce two new electric commercial vehicles into the U.S. in the next few years, it announced at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in Hannover, Germany, while also showing off a highly connected and efficient electric concept truck.
The Mitsubishi Fuso eCanter will see a “soft launch” in the U.S. next year, most likely in areas such as southern California and New York City, where highly congested and emissions-challenged urban areas make electric delivery vehicles ideal.
In addition, Mercedes Vans says it will introduce an e-van, likely in the 2018 time frame.
In a roundtable with North American trucking reporters at the show, Wolfgang Bernhard, head of Daimler Truck & Bus, explained how rapidly evolving battery technology is making electric commercial trucks available faster than the industry would have expected just a few years ago.
In fact, at the IAA show just two years ago, he said he didn’t see any applications for electric trucks.
“And you ask yourself, what made me change your mind? Honestly, what happened was battery technology changed, more drastically than we ever hoped for. And that change is driven by these guys,” he said, holding out his smartphone. “These guys are very powerful customers and are asking for more powerful batteries.”
The performance of batteries has improved by 2.5 times, he said, and the costs have come down by about the same amount. “Now we’re reaching a tiring point. And that tipping point will be the end of this decade.”
Electric trucks are better than diesel for urban delivery, he said — quieter, less emissions, and they don’t face the challenges that diesel engines do in stop and go traffic where they never get …Read the rest of this story
