• The two major Greek cities order 89 FUSO eCanter with truck bodies from KAOUSSIS for waste collection in urban environments.
• The vehicles with rotating drum compaction technology will primarily be used to collect organic waste in metropolitan areas.
• The lift system with integrated diagnostic monitoring from Terberg is compatible with two-wheeled waste bins with a capacity of 80 to 390 liters.
• Florian Schulz, Head of Sales, Marketing and Customer Services at FUSO Europe: “Thanks to its compact dimensions and high chassis load-bearing capacity, the electric eCanter is ideally suited for waste disposal companies that operate in narrow streets. In addition, the vehicle is locally emission-free and quiet, making it possible to collect refuse in the early morning in densely populated areas. This makes it particularly suitable for municipal applications.”

Leinfelden-Echterdingen - The Next Generation eCanter impresses municipalities: the Greek cities of Athens and Thessaloniki order 89 FUSO eCanter with truck bodies from KAOUSSIS for waste collection in urban environments. The waste collection vehicles with rotating drum compaction technology are primarily used to collect organic waste in metropolitan areas. 40 of the 8.55 t vehicles are expected to be deployed from November. The entire delivery is expected to be completed over the course of next year. The vehicles ordered have the medium battery pack with a battery capacity of 82.6 kWh and a range of up to 140 km. 

The Next Generation eCanter is an ideal refuse collection vehicle wherever space is tight. Florian Schulz, Head of Sales, Marketing and Customer Services, sums it up as follows: “Thanks to its compact dimensions and high chassis load-bearing capacity, the electric eCanter is ideally suited for waste disposal companies that operate in narrow streets. In addition, the vehicle is locally emission-free and quiet, making it possible to collect refuse in the early morning in densely populated areas. This makes it particularly suitable for municipal applications.”

The Greek body manufacturer KAOUSSIS has invested a great deal of development work into the truck body so that residents can benefit from the quiet collection of waste in the future. The truck body is the first of its kind for the all-electric eCanter and meets all technical regulations for the operation of waste disposal vehicles with standing personnel.

Collects waste like a big one: the KAOUSSIS truck body enables efficient waste collection with maximum maneuverability

The vehicles with 3,400 mm wheelbase have a rotating drum with a capacity of 4m³, which is used to compact the collected waste (compaction rate 4:1), making it ideal for organic waste. To ensure that the compression of the waste is just as quiet as the electric truck itself, the drum was equipped with an additional soundproof acoustic hood made of aluminum. The tightly closing tailgate makes the rotating drum compaction technology suitable for waste fractions with a high liquid content. The truck body is operated via the mechanical power take-off - available as an option ex-factory.

“It is particularly important to us to make waste collection CO₂-neutral and emission-free. With the FUSO eCanter as the basis, we benefit from the vehicle's high bodybuilder friendliness as well as its excellent maneuverability. Together with our engineers, we have worked on the technology to meet all regulations for the operation of such a vehicle and we are proud that this solution has already convinced the first municipalities,” explains Dimitris Kaoussis, Head of Production of the traditional Greek bodybuilder.

The hydraulic system (operating at a maximum pressure of 180 bar) with proportional, electro-hydraulically actuated directional control valves, is specially designed for electrically powered vehicles. The lift system with integrated diagnostic monitoring from Terberg is compatible with two-wheeled refuse containers with a capacity of 80 to 390 liters. Not only is the lift equipped with the latest RFID technology, but it also has a dynamic weighing system that records the weight of the waste with an accuracy of up to ±0.5 kg.

In addition, the waste bins are cleaned every time they are emptied. For this purpose, the body uses an integrated container washing system with a folding washing head. An additional disinfection nozzle is available. The truck is also equipped with a 300-liter pure water tank and a 200-liter wastewater tank. For further cleaning of the garbage bin and the surroundings, the high-pressure water wash gun connected to the vehicle with a 15-metre hose can be used.

Safety requirements for the operation of refuse collection vehicles fulfilled

The footboards for the vehicle operators at the rear are automatically retracted to the driving position while driving. A 5.7-inch touchscreen in the driver's cab allows the driver to monitor operations, run diagnostics and access statistics to ensure safe operation. The vehicle design, monitoring systems and safety interlocks on the body comply with all the latest regulations of the EN 1501 standard for refuse collection vehicles.

Antonios Evangeloulis, Sales & Marketing Director of the Greek Importer & General Distributor of Daimler Truck products and service Star Automotive Hellas, highlights the technological refinements: “We have been working very closely with KAOUSSIS for over 30 years. I am particularly pleased that the vehicles, which we have worked on together for more than a year, will be driving through Athens and Thessaloniki as of November. Moreover, the body is the first in Europe to meet all standards for operation with standing personnel. This shows that we can also solve major technical challenges and implement complex bodies even on an electric eCanter. In addition, Star Automotive Hellas, has heavily invested to authorize its two own workshops, in Athens & Thessaloniki, for the repair and maintenance of the eCanter. All necessary tools, safety measures, technicians, training and certifications are in place, and we are ready to offer excellent after-sales support for these vehicles. All in all, it was an exciting project that we were able to execute together.”

About the FUSO Canter

Thanks to the smallest turning circle in its class, its high payload and its versatility, the FUSO Canter has been an international bestseller among light trucks for more than six decades. Since its market launch in 1963, over 4.5 million FUSO Canters have been produced worldwide. The vehicle is available in five weight classes (3.5 t to 8.55 t), with six wheelbases (2,500 mm to 4,750 mm), three powerful engines (130 hp to 175 hp) and three cab variants (standard (1.7 m wide), comfort (2.0 m) and crew cab (2.0 m).

The Canter and the all-electric eCanter are produced for the European market at the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck Europe plant in Tramagal, Portugal, and for all other markets at the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation plant in Kawasaki, Japan.