City Logistics says it has been “pleasantly surprised” by the load-carrying performance of its trial electric Fuso Canter (eCanter) small truck.

Earlier this year, Daimler Truck Southern Africa (DTSA) announced that it would launch a comprehensive line-up of battery-electric trucks, ranging from the Fuso eCanter to the Mercedes-Benz eActros.

The eCanter is being tested by City Logistics to establish its viability as an intra-city transport option.

The company says it deploys the four-ton eCanter from its Gosforth Park depot, in Germiston, Ekurhuleni.

The truck is being tested along an 80 km round trip to a customer in Midrand each day.

“We want to test the claimed range, as well as the speed to recharge,” says City Logistics CEO Ryan Gaines.

The eCanter’s claimed range of 100 km allows for a 20 km reserve on the battery for the planned route test, which carries a full load on both legs of the journey.

“We have been pleasantly surprised by the vehicle’s ability to carry load without draining the battery.

“Battery percentage usage on the roundtrip journey ranges from 60% to 70%,” adds Gaines

“The truck also charges from 20% back to 100% in just over an hour back at the depot, using a 50 kWh charger. This provides us with assurances of a decent turnaround time.”

This is not City Logistics’ first foray into the field of electric mobility.

Last year, the company tested the previous generation eCanter.

“Once the most proficient and cost-effective electric truck has been identified and a reliable charging solution has been established, we’ll implement the vehicle on a local or urban route,” says Gaines.

“We are also looking into testing hybrid or gas vehicles over longer, outlying routes.”

According to Gaines, while electric car sales have been slow in South Africa, demand for electric logistics vehicles is growing.

DTSA says trials like the one at City Logistics aims to establish the performance of and infrastructure requirements for battery-electric trucks in South Africa.

Once the trials at various companies have been concluded, the eCanter will be sold to local transport operators on an operating lease basis.

The bigger eActros, on the other hand, is already available for sale.

“The launch of the eCanter in South Africa is a massive feat for us,” says DTSA president and CEO Maretha Gerber.

“While we know that to reach our ultimate goal of offering 100% carbon-neutral products by 2050 will require various zero-emission technologies, this launch represents the vital first step for us in building a sustainable future for transportation.”

The eCanter may be new to South Africans, but it has been doing duty on roads in various international markets for some time already.

In 2017, Mitsubishi Fuso first launched the vehicle, becoming the first global truck maker to launch an all-electric, series-produced light-duty truck.