ECanter Truck Project to Demonstrate Swappable Battery Modules for EVs

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. will start an electric-truck battery-swapping demonstration on public roads in Japan this month.

MFTBC’s electric light-duty eCanter truck will be equipped with swappable battery modules from Ample, which is headquartered in San Francisco.

The eCanter’s batteries will be swapped at Ample’s battery swapping stations, deployed in Kyoto City in collaboration with Japan’s ENEOS Holdings Inc.

Tokyo-based Yamato Transport will trial the battery-swapping eCanter on public roads for collection and delivery operations in Kyoto City.

How the Electric-Truck Battery-Swapping Demo Will Work

When the eCanter enters the Ample fully automated swapping station, robots automatically exchange batteries within the target time of five minutes.

This technique was previously demonstrated to the public at the Japan Mobility Show in 2023, and MFTBC is taking the next step in bringing this technology to public roads.

The project will help MFTBC and the other participating companies to identify the benefits and challenges of battery swapping and investigate the scalability of the technology with future practical use in Japan in mind.

MFTBC said this joint demonstration is an important step towards MFTBC’s ambition to drive EV truck expansion.

The company launched the original eCanter in 2017 and it has already accumulated over 12 million kilometers of mileage in customer hands worldwide. (It’s no longer offered in the U.S.)

The next step for MFTBC is to commercialize a battery-swapping EV truck. This would give more customers the chance to transition to carbon-neutral logistics by providing a range of options comparable to that available for conventional diesel models.

The New eCanter

Launched in March 2023, MFTBC’s new generation eCanter offers selectable driving ranges with three battery sizes, and 28 models in Japan that can accommodate a variety of bodywork and applications.

Having battery-swapping EV trucks would further expand the possibilities of EV trucks, by addressing worries about driving range, extending applications and significantly shortening the downtime of vehicles. In addition, by introducing the latest swappable batteries as technology evolves, users can always have access to the most up-to-date battery technology.

Furthermore, this verification will also study a complete business model for battery-swapping EV trucks with the leasing product for eCanter, Fuso Green Lease, provided by Daimler Truck Financial Service Asia.

This lease provides a comprehensive financial solution that includes maintenance, insurance, a unified contract between parties, operational expertise with truck registration, and monthly invoicing.

Battery-Swapping for Passenger Car EVs

The companies are also collaborating in accumulating operational experience necessary to popularize fully automated battery swapping stations for EVs as a new energy infrastructure. Ample’s fully automated battery swapping stations are fitted with the capability of swapping batteries not only for EV trucks, but also for passenger cars.