The move to electric
E-mobility is fast becoming “a thing” in the global commercial vehicle industry. As we have previously reported, Volvo Trucks is the market leader. It sold 1,977 electric trucks last year, an increase of 256% over the previous year – and it also launched its electric trucks here in South Africa in 2023.
However, strictly speaking, it wasn’t the first out of the mainstream manufacturers to bring electric trucks to South Africa. That honour goes to Daimler Truck Southern Africa, which says it was the first OEM to bring a 100% electric truck to South Africa. That was back in 2020, when the company brought the Fuso eCanter to South Africa for testing. The vehicle was not actually sold to operators back then.
Daimler was followed by Scania, which launched an electric truck in South Africa in November 2022. The vehicle was a trial unit, which was tested by the Shoprite Group. “Electrification marks a new era for the transport industry,” commented Mark Templeton, sustainability manager at Scania Southern Africa, at the time.
Now, Daimler Truck Southern Africa has also decided to sell battery-electric trucks to South African transport operators. So, which models will be on offer?
Full range
Daimler Truck Southern Africa is offering a comprehensive range of battery-electric trucks – ranging from the popular little eCanter to the much-lauded eActros. The former will be trialled at South African customers, and this will be followed by sales on an operating lease basis. The eActros, on the other hand, is already available for sale.
The decision to launch locally was announced recently at an event in Lanseria, north of Johannesburg, which was attended by members of the media, customers, dealers, and key stakeholders.
The decision to go the e-mobility route locally is in line with Daimler Truck's global ambition to offer 100% CO2 neutral trucks and buses by 2050.
Testing times for eCanter
At the event in Lanseria, Daimler Truck Southern Africa announced extended collaborative trials for the Fuso eCanter range, involving a three-month trial period for six units with selected customers. These trials aim to establish the performance and infrastructure requirements for battery-electric trucks.
While the eCanter is still a novelty in the South African market, it has been sold internationally for some time. Back in 2017, the eCanter became the first series produced all-electric light-duty truck in Japan. Since then, the truck has been sold to customers in Japan, Europe, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
Here are the specs of the eCanter:
Battery: Six HV battery packs with a capacity of 83kWh
Range: Up to 100 km
Charging Time: 1 hour 30 minutes on a 50kW DC charger; 11 hours on regular charging
Transmission: Single speed
Gross Vehicle Mass: 7.5 tons
Body and Payload Capacity: 4.2 tons
Motor Performance: 135 kW and 390Nm of torque
Wheelbase: 3,400mm
Length: 5,952mm
eActros: and then there were two
At the event, Daimler Truck Southern Africa announced that two battery-electric Actros derivatives would be sold in this country, namely the eActros 300 and the eActros 400. The Mercedes-Benz eActros 300 – comprising a 4x2 and a 6x2 rigid, along with a truck tractor variant – and the eActros 400 6x2 rigid were presented at the launch.
The first all-electric series-produced eActros was handed over to DB Schenker in February 2022. Since then, it has been sold to numerous customers – mostly in Europe.
Here are the eActros specs:
eActros 300
Battery: Three Lithium-ion battery packs with 336kWh capacity
Range: Up to 330km
Charging Time: 20% to 80% at 160kW in 1 hour 15 minutes
Gross Vehicle Mass (rigids): 19 to 27 tons
Payload Capacity (rigids): 8.2 to 16.1 tons
Truck Tractor Gross Combination Mass: 40 tons
eActros 400
Battery: Four lithium-ion battery packs with 448 kWh capacity
Range: Up to 400km
Charging Time: 20% to 80% at 160kW in 1 hour 40 minutes
Gross Vehicle Mass: 27 tons
Body and payload Capacity: Up to 15.4 tons
Both models feature a rigid electric axle with two integrated, liquid-cooled electric motors and a two-speed transmission, delivering a continuous output of 330kW and a peak output of 400kW.
Massive feat
According to Maretha Gerber, President and Group CEO of Daimler Truck Southern Africa, the launch of the eCanter and eActros is “a massive feat”. “While we know that to reach our ultimate goal of offering 100% CO2 neutral products by 2050 will require various zero-emission technologies, this launch represents the vital first step for us in building a sustainable future for transportation. We look forward to customer feedback to better support them as we tread new grounds,” she says.
We eagerly await operator feedback too – and we look forward to seeing these battery-electric trucks on South Africa’s roads. Stay tuned for our local test drives!
