Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) will be handing over a Fuso Canter Eco-Hybrid to Imperial Logistics in Germiston tomorrow for a 3 months test period. The vehicle will circulate among keen customers and will run as part of the fleet in normal application. MBSA premiered the light duty truck at the 2010 Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS) in South Africa.

Godfrey Hani, divisional manager Freightliner, FUSO & Western Star says, “For the FUSO stable and MBSA as a whole, this represents an advance in our quest to play a leading role in the field of green innovation and cements our commitment to sustainable mobility solutions.”
When compared to the current Fuso Canter, with its conventional diesel engine, the hybrid version uses up to 30 percent less fuel and consequently produces up to 30 percent less CO2 and other emissions in a stop-start city delivery environment.

The Fuso Canter Eco-Hybrid combines a Fuso two-pedal Inomat automated mechanical transmission (AMT) with a 23kW electric motor.

The same electric motor doubles as a generator to recharge the Lithium Ion battery pack during braking thereby storing or recycling energy for the next pull off.

As a result, the “recycled energy” effect produces a significant in fuel consumption that increases the more the vehicle stops and starts. The fuel saving on long distance type work is not that significant, but then again most trucks in the Canter-type commercial vehicle class are employed in distribution application over, short distance.

The hybrid system switches its operational mode according to the driving situation. The electric motor is used when starting off. During hard acceleration, both the diesel engine and electric motor/generator power the vehicle. When cruising, the vehicle is driven by the diesel engine only, like a conventional vehicle. When slowing down or braking, the electric motor/generator functions as a generator to convert braking energy (normally lost as heat) into electric energy and stores it in the lithium-ion battery.