Daimler Trucks has launched the first fleet test for emission-free, electric trucks in Germany, handing over five battery-powered Fuso Canter E-Cells to Stuttgart mayor, Fritz Kuhn, and the Hermes Logistics Company (HLC).

Over the next twelve months, the Stuttgart municipality will test four 6-ton Fuso Canter E-Cell vehicles in tough, everyday working environments. Two vehicles with hydraulic tipper bodies will be deployed in road construction and landscaping; two with box bodies will be assigned to municipal furniture transport and waste disposal operations and another will carry out parcel deliveries in urban traffic for HLC.

“Today’s combustion engine is highly efficient, eco-friendly and, above all, clean,” says Daimler’s Dr Wolfgang Bernhard. “In long-distance transport, it will remain the only option for a long time to come. In urban, short-radius distribution, a partial switch to electric trucks will become technically feasible and economically viable within a few years’ time. With this fleet test, we are making a small yet important contribution to urban mobility in Stuttgart and are taking a key step towards market maturity.”

On the basis of prevailing costs of diesel and electricity during a year-long test period in Portugal, operating costs of eight Canter E-Cell vehicles were lowered by up to 64 percent in comparison to conventional diesel trucks.