Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) have anounced the start of a battery-swapping demonstration for electric trucks on public roads in Kyoto, Japan.
The demonstration uses MFTBC’s electric light-duty “eCanter” truck equipped with swappable battery modules from Ample, a San Francisco-based company. Ample’s battery swapping stations, deployed in Kyoto City in collaboration with ENEOS Holdings, will be used for the demonstration.
Yamato Transport will test the battery-swapping eCanter for collection and delivery operations in Kyoto City. According to MFTBC, when the eCanter enters Ample’s swapping station, robots automatically exchange batteries within a target time of five minutes.
MFTBC states that this demonstration is part of their efforts to expand electric vehicle (EV) truck adoption. The company launched the eCanter in 2017 and reports that it has “accumulated over 12 million kilometres of mileage in customer hands worldwide”.
“Having battery-swapping EV trucks would further expand the possibilities of EV trucks, by addressing worries about driving ranges, extending applications and significantly shortening the downtime of vehicles,” said Karl Deppen, President and CEO of MFTBC.
The demonstration will also examine a business model for battery-swapping EV trucks using the “Fuso Green Lease” product provided by Daimler Truck Financial Service Asia.
MFTBC describes this project as a step towards providing customers with options to reduce CO2 emissions.
