DACHSER is the launch customer for Daimler’s all-electric FUSO eCanter light commercial vehicle. From spring 2018, the logistics provider will be operating two of these trucks in city centres — one in Berlin, the other in Stuttgart.

Speaking at a European media event in Berlin, Stefan Hohm, Corporate Director, Corporate Solutions, Research & Development at DACHSER, explained: “These trucks are part of our City Distribution project and expand our innovative and sustainable concept for city-centre deliveries.” This project has DACHSER combining tried and true logistics models with new ideas, providing the basis for developing robust and sustainable business models for last-mile deliveries of the future.

Depending on the requirements profile of the city in question, the local branch can implement custom solutions chosen from a modular toolbox. And part of that means finding the right combination of vehicles for downtown deliveries. “We went for the FUSO eCanter because it’s the first all-electric truck to enter full-scale production, and so it will add momentum to this entire class of commercial vehicle,” says Hohm.

In Berlin and Stuttgart, the two FUSO eCanters will be incorporated into the core groupage business operated by DACHSER’s long-established transportation companies. Their job will be to deliver pallets of manufactured goods, either to microhubs or directly to customers. They will also collect goods and bring them to DACHSER’s branches in Schönefeld and Kornwestheim. “These electric trucks are ideal for city centres and that’s where they will most often be found,” says Hohm.

Depending on its design and purpose, the all-electric light truck offers a range of some 100 kilometres and a load capacity of up to 3.5 metric tons. Its electric powertrain comprises six high-voltage lithium-ion batteries, each one with 420 V and 13.8 kWh.