Mitsubishi Fuso is starting a battery swap demonstration for electric trucks on public roads in Japan this month. The courier service Yamato Transport will test the system in Kyoto on Mitsubishi Fuso's behalf.
In the project announced last year, Mitsubishi Fuso’s electric eCanter light-duty truck will be fitted with exchangeable battery modules from US manufacturer Ample, which will then be replaced at Ample’s exchange stations in Kyoto. The partners are not giving any details about the batteries themselves. The only technical information is that the battery exchange will take five minutes and be fully automatic. For the field test, the courier service Yamato Transport will use the eCanter on public roads for collection and delivery journeys.
Mitsubishi Fuso and Ample announced their intention to test battery-swapping technology for electric trucks just over a year ago. The duo hopes that the current demonstration phase will provide a basis for assessing customer satisfaction, scalability and the potential for commercialisation on the domestic market.
Incidentally, Ample emphasised in an earlier announcement that the drive-in principle of its stations is a major advantage for trucks. Unlike Nio’s battery swapping Stations, where vehicles are parked in reverse, Ample allows vehicles to drive in from the rear and simply drive out at the front. The US startup is gradually expanding its initial focus on car swap stations to include stations for commercial vehicles. In 2021, for example, the company announced a collaboration with Japanese energy company Eneos to test battery swapping with several passenger transport and delivery companies. Eneos continues to be a partner of Ample, as the attached press photo shows.
Mitsubishi Fuso, in turn, expects the approach to provide a broader range of electrification solutions for its customers. In addition to the existing eCanter, the company plans to launch a battery-powered electric truck. “This would enable MFTBC to offer even more customers the chance to transition to carbon neutral logistics by providing a range of options comparable to that available for conventional diesel light-duty trucks.”
The merger with Hino Motors should also provide a tailwind. In May 2023, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus merged with Hino Motors to strengthen its position in commercial vehicle development, procurement, and production- also with a view to electrification. Daimler Truck and Toyota, the owners of the above-mentioned brands, invested equally in the listed holding company of Fuso and Hino.
With Thanks to Electrive