Daimler India To Launch First Electric Truck By 2025

Daimler India has announced that it will be entering the electric commercial vehicle segment with the new, all-electric eCanter truck. The electric truck will be launched in India in the next six to 12 months. 

This move is a part of Daimler Truck’s, the parent company of Daimler India, plan to make carbon-neutral trucks and buses globally by 2050. Daimler India will help implement this strategy by introducing electric and hydrogen powertrains for its commercial vehicles. Daimler India has plans to introduce carbon-neutral trucks across commercial vehicle segments like long haul, mining, construction and more. 

Satyakam Arya, Managing Director & CEO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles said, “A long-term plan like ours hinges on many complex external factors, some of which are, the availability of a charging and refuelling infrastructure, the availability of green energy, cost parity and wide-scale customer acceptance. Over the next two decades, we will have a firm footing with decarbonized transportation solutions and will be making progress towards becoming a leader in sustainable transportation in India.”

Daimler India said the eCanter truck is currently undergoing advanced testing in India. The eCanter platform was first introduced in 2017 in Japan and the second-gen eCanter platform made its global debut in 2022. The eCanter truck pictured above is wearing Mitsubishi Fuso branding and as of now, there is no confirmation if the electric truck will launch as a BharatBenz model or Fuso. 

The upcoming third-gen eCanter truck will have a range of 140 to 150 km on a single charge with a larger battery pack than the outgoing model and will have a load-bearing capacity of around seven tonnes. In comparison, the second-gen eCanter has a range of 100 km on a single charge with support for CCS2 charging for the 81 kWh battery pack. The second-gen e-truck has a load-bearing capacity of just over 4.2 tonnes.

Daimler said that since the carbon-neutral propulsion technology is in its nascent stages in India, it has tremendous potential for growth in the long term. Furthermore, Daimler India also said that “India needs conducive, robust policies and a market environment to compete with the world going forward.”