One of the program’s projects is a research fleet trial that sees 10 light duty Fuso Canter trucks equipped with hybrid powertrains serving as everyday London area transport vehicles. The trucks belong to eight customer fleets and have clocked around 265,000 km since August 2008, when the project was introduced. Each of the vehicles serves its purpose every day, traveling between 400 and 2,800 km per month. The program will end next year, when the data gathered will be analyzed.
The 18 months of testing that have passed show that the hybrid technology is reliable and stable, so it is suitable for everyday use. On average, the Fuso Canter Eco Hybdrid (this is the test truck’s full name) manages to offer a 10 to 15 percent fuel reduction, as compared to a conventional model, also cutting CO2 emissions. The ten light duty trucks have saved about 5,000 liters of fuel since the project debuted.
Daimler trucks is continuing its experimental hybrid drive program, processing data from a fleet of almost 1,000 commercial trucks that run on three continents. The company’s Global Hybrid Center, located in Kawasaki, Japan, is currently developing the next generation of the Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid.
“It’s conceivable that we might use a more powerful electric motor for Europe, given the higher gross vehicle weight there, as well as higher speeds and longer idling periods. This would lower fuel consumption even further. A future Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid should take due account of the different operating conditions from continent to continent - and a model specifically tailored for European application of the Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid is on the horizon,” explains Fumio Akikawa, head of the Global Hybrid Center.
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