For the past five years, Fuso New Zealand has lobbied Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation to secure supply of eCanter trucks. Global demand has been fierce; however, the hard work has prevailed and stock is now available in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Government has set a target to reduce emissions from freight by 35% by 2035. This follows an international commitment that 100% of trucks and buses sold new will be zero-emission by 2040, with an interim goal of 30% zero-emission medium to heavy duty vehicle sales by 2030.
“To support this goal, transport businesses will need to understand and adapt to a new way of operating – it is not as simple as plug and play. Fuso NZ is committed to partnering with fleets on their journey to carbon-zero, and to learning and leading together to keep our country at the forefront of this revolution, while delivering a more sustainable future for us all,” says the company.
First launched in Europe in 2019, Fuso eCanter is described as the world’s first series-produced 100% electric truck. There are now more than 300 on the road across the globe with over 4.5 million kilometres of real-world operation on the clock.
Driven by a permanent synchronous electric motor and powered by an 81kWh (420v) lithium-ion, liquid-cooled battery pack, Fuso eCanter delivers an impressive 135kW and 390Nm. It has a range of 100-150km on a single charge, depending on conditions – and is well-suited to around-town delivery routes.
Producing no on-road emissions, Fuso eCanter can help businesses reduce Scope 1 and Scope 3 greenhouse emissions that occur in their value chain.
Scope 1 applies directly to transport fleet operators. Scope 3 applies to any organisation that receives / distributes goods and services through third-party suppliers, even those not in the transport industry – such as supermarkets or facilities maintenance.
Early adopters
There are currently 33 Fuso eCanter trucks either on the road or in build, procured by customers in New Zealand. These early adopters are leading the way in our national fleet’s transition to net zero.
There are immediate benefits for early adopters. Perhaps the most important is the learning and understanding of how to integrate electric trucks into existing operations, including charging infrastructure, logistics and route planning, driver training, body fabrication and much more.
It is no exaggeration to say this is the biggest change in commercial transport since the move from horses and coaches to combustion engines. As such, the education and culture shift required from the ground up needs to begin right now – well in advance of the 2030 target of 30% zero-emission truck sales if that target is to be realised.
These ‘heroes’ are not only developing their own knowledge but also that of the industry – others will learn from their journeys and, collectively, we’ll all benefit as more and more goods are delivered around New Zealand by EV trucks.
HERE ARE IMMEDIATE BENEFITS FOR EARLY ADOPTERS. PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT IS THE LEARNING AND UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO INTEGRATE ELECTRIC TRUCKS INTO EXISTING OPERATIONS, INCLUDING CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE, LOGISTICS AND ROUTE PLANNING, DRIVER TRAINING, BODY FABRICATION AND MUCH MORE.