Leinfelden-Echterdingen/Germany – The FUSO eCanter electric light-duty truck, which has been an integral part of the Daimler Truck electric product portfolio for years and is popular with customers for last-mile deliveries, has convinced Peter Friedrich, owner of Getränke Friedrich in Seligenstadt, Germany, for a year now. The entrepreneur from Hessia relies on a compact eCanter with an S-Cabin and a flatbed tarp body to make his home delivery service more sustainable.

“Everyone should try to act more sustainably if they can do it well,” says Friedrich, explaining his decision for an all-electric delivery vehicle. When the entrepreneur was planning to purchase a new vehicle in 2023, he had a clear idea of the criteria it should meet: 100 per cent electric drive, a range of at least 40 kilometers, allowed to drive without a truck driving licence, the highest possible payload, a flatbed body with sliding tarpaulin, and as compact and maneuverable as possible for inner-city driving. Friedrich's research quickly turned up what he considered the perfect match: the new FUSO eCanter. Series production of the vehicle had just begun at that time.

He found the right contact at FUSO sales and service partner Robert Kunzmann GmbH & Co KG in Aschaffenburg. Sales representative Steffen Horn didn't even have a demonstration vehicle on site at that time – but he still managed to make a compelling offer to Peter Friedrich. He ordered the eCanter on the spot and took delivery in February of last year. A flatbed design with a side wall and sliding curtain was a clear plus: ‘When making home deliveries, we often park on the curb and need to be able to access the load quickly and easily from the passenger side,’ explains Peter Friedrich. In addition, the eCanter's low loading edge, which is only about 850 mm high, is ergonomically designed to help the driver unload manually. The fact that Getränke Friedrich's home delivery service is now 100% electric is of course mentioned on the decals of the new vehicle. ‘Our customers are taking notice of the eCanter, and we are getting really positive feedback,’ reports Peter Friedrich proudly.

In the meantime, the eCanter has already covered around 6,000 kilometres and has more than proven itself in real-life: ’We're getting there just fine with the range. In the warehouse, where the vehicle is reloaded after the first tour of the morning, we can easily top up the power thanks to the Wallbox. We do this during the cold season because the heating is an additional consumer, but it wasn’t necessary during summer,’ explains Friedrich, who has equipped the roofs of his warehouses with photovoltaic cells. On top of that, the eCanter impresses with its typical characteristics. “It is so maneuverable, handy, agile, can get anywhere and park anywhere. It’s awesome!” When the three-year lease is up, he plans to order another eCanter and, depending on his business situation, to add a second one.

Sustainable and versatile: the FUSO eCanter fulfils all customer requirements

The FUSO eCanter S415e has an all-electric, 150 hp (110 kW) drive and produces no local CO2 emissions. The selected battery pack option S with a rechargeable battery has a capacity of 41.3 kWh and offers a range of up to 70 kilometers. Furthermore, the 4.25 t electric vehicle can be driven with a class B driving licence. With a turning circle of just 12 meters, it is also agile and maneuverable, making it ideal for deliveries in the city and urban residential areas. Configured to the customer's requirements with the narrow standard single cab, a wheelbase of 2.800 mm and a body length of 3.600 mm, it combines compact external dimensions with a payload of almost 1.2 tonnes.