PORTUGAL. TRAMAGAL. FUSO. A Success Story

In-depth

9 Nov

Back in 2017 Fuso – under the Daimler Trucks umbrella – were the first company to series produce an all battery electric light duty truck in Japan – the Fuso eCanter.

Five years on, hundreds of eCanters are serving customers in Japan, USA, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Together they’ve clocked enough miles to circle the planet over 100 times.

At IAA Transportation in Germany recently, Karl Deppen, the CEO of Daimler truck Asia described those five years as the trial stage, whilst introducing the company’s next generation eCanter.

**Next Gen eCanter on display at IAA Hanover**

From the current single model on offer, forthcoming eCanters will come compatible with many types of bodies, making it ideal for diverse applications. The vehicles will come in a range of tonnage, between 4.25 ton and 8.5 ton, nearly matching the offerings of the diesel Canter product portfolio. They will also come with six different wheel bases and two cab variants.

Another innovation is the installation of a mechanical PTO, enabling the eCanter to cater to many special-purpose applications that currently use existing equipment for diesel vehicles. This will give companies an EV option for applications as varied as dry vans, tippers, rear cranes, garbage collection and all types of logistics.

The first generation eCanter offered a range of100 km. That doesn’t sound like much, but it was plenty for me to fang around Melbourne with the pedal to the metal more often than not - which is NOT how you’re supposed to drive an electric truck – and have heaps of power in reserve after 4 – 5 hours. I could easily have done an 8 hour working day in that vehicle. (It’s important to note here that the ranges quoted by Fuso are for fully loaded trucks.)

Generation two has stepped it up with a state of the art LFP battery technology. It comes with an all-new modular battery concept with three options according to wheelbase – S, M and L. The S option has a driving range of 70 km, the M model offers 140 km and the L model offers up to 200 km. The aim of these options is to allow customers to balance range with cost and payload.

As with the latest eActros, the eCanter now features the new eAxle where the electric motor and differential are wrapped up in one unit, allowing more space for battery stowage.

**No tailshaft leaves more room for batteries**

The latest iteration also adds more safety features such as the company’s most advanced collision mitigation brake system (ABA5) and Sideguard Assist which warns drivers about blind spots. Series production of the Fuso Generation eCanter begins in 2023.

And some of that production comes from a very surprising place. After our whirlwind tour of IAA Transportation at Hanover, Daimler put we assembled journalists on a bus (Mercedes-Benz of course) back to Frankfurt where we caught a plane to Lisbon, Portugal. Arriving at our hotel close to midnight there was just enough time to down a couple of pints of Portugal’s finest lager before the bar closed, because that’s what truck journalists do, lol.

Early the next morning we board yet another bus and head 145 km north-east of Lisbon to the small town of Tramagal. Our bus driver (by now nicknamed Fangio) who wore a big smile and spoke little English ignored his Navman and unintentionally took us a long way around over twisty roads and past some spectacular scenery with his foot to the pedal, trying to make up for lost time. As a compatriot journalist, Allan Whiting commented, “We’ve just done the Mille Miglia (a famous Italian motorsport endurance race) in a bus!”

We finally arrive at our destination and first impressions are that this is not a wealthy village. Paint is peeling off many buildings and others are abandoned to the ravages of time. With a population of 3,500 in 2011, I suspect the town has not grown much in the intervening years.

Rounding the final corner on the edge of town is a two story white building proudly displaying the words, eCanter. Further on, there’s a portal from which hang the flags of Portugal, The EU, Germany, Japan and Abrantes – the municipality in which Tramagal is situated. This is a great illustration of the coming together of countries and states for the betterment of the people of this town.

The plant has been around since 1964, originally producing military trucks under the Berliet brand name. Some 5000 were made up until 1974. The following six years saw only another 1000 trucks produced. From 1980 through 1996 67,000 Canter, Fuso, L200, L300 and Pajero were produced under various factory ownership, all for the Portugal market. With Daimler’s purchase of Mitsubishi in 1996 the factory was also purchased and concentrated on the Fuso Canter product with distribution extending into wider Europe and Morocco. In all, 235,000 Canters have left the factory.

At the main entrance we are met by Arne Barden, the expatriate German Head of Plant and Rui Correia, Director, General Operations for a presentation on the plant’s operations and the production process of the Next Generation eCanter. In line with its parent company’s ambitions, the Tramagal plant reaches carbon neutrality this year, expects net zero by 2030 and being carbon positive by 2040. Given the plethora of transportation OEMs at Hanover’s IAA not only aiming for the same but actively producing product to achieve it, I could easily believe that truck manufacturers are at the forefront of changing the world’s reliance on fossil fuels.

**Unbelievably good wines. And the most expensive? $15**

Following lunch, and unfortunately only a tiny sip of the delightful multi-award winning wines at nearby Casal Da Coelheira Winery, we return for a tour of the factory.

Covering an area of over 158,000 m², the Tramagal plant employs 600 people, making it the major employer in town – its importance in the community illustrated later in the afternoon when we take the eCanters for a spin. The team produces a brand-new Canter every eight minutes. The factory tour demonstrates the skill of the workforce, aided by robots where necessary. Both diesel and eCanters are produced from CKD kits on the same production line, only parting ways at the fitment of the powertrain. The eCanter will become the main focus of production at Tramagal in future years.

The proof of the product is always in the pudding as they say, so the time comes to hop behind the wheel of an eCanter for a spin, and it is here that the business’ importance to the town becomes apparent. As I round a corner and come to a T-section, there is the local constabulary blocking traffic to allow me a free run. The next junction is the same and so on until the journey is completed. Oh, there was also a police car heading up the eCanter convoy. Did I feel important? Yep.

**The local police were more than helpful**

So, what’s it like to drive? In Aussie slang, ‘She’s a bloody bewdy mate!’

I drove the original test eCanter here in Oz some years ago and looked up my words on that occasion. That I was impressed back then is an understatement and nothing has changed with the production model. The eCanter coming from the Tramagal factory is silent, rattle free and QUICK! It’s all I remember from that test drive a few years ago. As I said at the time, “She’s fully sick, bro!”

Many of you reading this are into big bangers - and so am I - but for ‘last mile’ delivery the eCanter is simply ideal. No worries about noise pollution keeping you out of certain areas (like Beach Rd in Melbourne). Minimal wear and tear on brakes and other driveline components. No oil changes. No coughing up exorbitant prices for diesel. Bloody hell, servicing is minimal! And you’re helping the environment. For someone like me who’s just escaped from major flooding, that is pretty top of mind at the moment.

The folk at Tramagal assure me that the 2nd generation is more advanced on every front, from road and noise insulation, to power, to quality of finish. Looking at the new models I believe them. The new interiors are light years ahead of the current models. I presume we’ll get those in the diesel versions as well. As mentioned earlier the safety features are the latest and greatest. We get the Gen 2 here in Australia sometime in 2023 and I frankly can’t wait to get behind the wheel to give it a test run.