Chennai: Daimler India Industrial Automobiles (DICV) is ready to be the subsequent participant within the rising electrical truck market, with the eCanter, an electrical mild obligation truck from Mitsubishi Fuso, additionally owned by Daimler Truck. The e-truck, which may also mark DICV’s foray into India’s Mild Industrial Automobile (LCV) phase, will probably be launched available in the market inside the subsequent 6 to 12 months.
The eCanter will probably be assembled in India, and bought below the BharatBenz model. The e-truck is powered by an LFP battery pack, which can be charged with an AC charger, and has variants within the 3.5 ton to 7.5 ton GVW vary. The launch of the eCanter “is step one in our long-term technique to decarbonise our complete product portfolio,” Satyakam Arya, DICV’s MD & CEO stated.
The eCanter, at present in its third technology launched final yr in Japan, has bought 2,500 items because the debut of the mannequin’s first technology in 2017. The eCanter for India is present process superior trials at DICV, earlier than it goes for trials with potential clients. The eCanter ‘has bought in a whole lot’ in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Taiwan, Turkey, and the Center East are quickly to be added as markets for the e-truck. Daimler Truck plans to have a ‘vital presence in main markets around the globe with 100 variants’.
DICV says India’s CO2-neutral propulsion expertise market continues to be in its infancy and subsequently has great scope in the long run. And, in the long run, Daimler Truck sees solely Battery Electrical Automobile (BEV) and Hydrogen (Gas Cell and ICE) as the key applied sciences within the international trucking business. There’ll be a expertise transition within the diesel-dominated truck market in India too, however it’s anticipated to occur progressively.
At DICV, diesel is being seen as having a majority share within the home trucking business until 2047, the goal yr for India to be vitality impartial. At the moment, 96% of India’s vehicles run on diesel, with CNG powering the remainder, and BEVs have a negligible share. DICV sees BEVs finest suited to the intra-city and regional distribution truck phase, the place the each day mileage clocked is round 600 km.
The corporate’s CO2-neutral propulsion expertise roadmap is being ready in keeping with Daimler Truck’s international expertise technique with battery electrical and hydrogen-based drive applied sciences. DICV has already developed a BharatBenz hydrogen gas cell idea coach in collaboration with Reliance Industries. Sooner or later, DICV says it should introduce vehicles throughout totally different utility segments that may serve lengthy haul, mining, building, POL, dumper, RMC and others for numerous freight and terrain necessities.
LNG, a ‘tactical’ play
After CNG, CV OEMs are providing LNG vehicles too, however DICV might have solely a ‘tactical play’ on this phase. “We are going to primarily decide to battery-electric and hydrogen-based propulsion applied sciences throughout our future product portfolio, in a phased method. One factor is for certain that we’ll be prepared with the correct automobiles the place the market is,” Arya stated.
Dr. Andreas Gorbach, Member of Board of Administration, and Head of World Truck Expertise, Daimler Truck, stated that the worldwide main has intentionally bypassed gaseous fuels below its ‘Energy to Drive’ expertise technique as a result of “it doesn’t contribute to decarbonisation”. “Sure, there’s much less carbon within the gas, however the gas effectivity can also be much less,” he stated. “However it deserves investing in constructing the requisite infrastructure for EVs and Hydrogen, slightly than for interim options like CNG or LNG,” he added.
DICV’s tactical play for LNG may embody collaboration with a associate. “We are going to convey an LNG resolution to the market if we see infrastructure growing, and clients asking for it,” Arya stated.
India, a serious base for Daimler
For Daimler Truck, India is a rising market the place it clocked a 39% YoY development in truck and bus gross sales, and a 21% development in income final yr. It’s nonetheless not reached a podium place within the Indian CV business, however India is already a serious engineering and expertise growth base for Daimler Truck.
Daimler Truck Innovation Middle India, the CV main’s international technical centre, is supporting the softwarisation of merchandise throughout Daimler-owned manufacturers. A significant mission is the primary Daimler OS (Working System). The OS is predicted to be carried out in Daimler’s vehicles by the tip of this decade, or the start of the subsequent decade, Dr. Gorbach stated.
At DICV, round 200 out of the five hundred+ engineers are devoted for the Mitsubishi Fuso tasks. This might additionally assist DICV within the localisation efforts of the eCanter.
As a part of the general technique too, India is a “crucial base” for Daimler Truck. Karl Deppen, Board of Administration, Daimler Truck Holding AG, stated, “That’s as a result of we have now the capabilities right here, we have now an amazing funding surroundings, we have now a superb staff right here, succesful engineers, we have now a robust community, and subsequently we have now a really robust product lineup. And we have now introduced that into the world as a result of we export a considerable share of our merchandise, utilizing totally different manufacturers in several markets around the globe.”
Carbon neutrality targets
Daimler Truck plans to make its new vehicles and buses CO2- impartial in Europe, Japan and the US by 2039, and globally by 2050. DICV goals to realize carbon neutrality in its worth chain by 2047. It targets to energy its manufacturing plant by 100% renewable vitality by subsequent yr, from 84% final yr.
On the CV business degree, DICV expects diesel ICE and CO2-neutral propulsion applied sciences to co-exist within the Indian marketplace for the foreseeable future. Charging and refuelling infrastructure, availability of inexperienced vitality, price parity and wider buyer acceptance are a few of the key elements on which the long-term plans of an OEM like DICV rely.
Subsequently, DICV says its preliminary focus with the eCanter is “to realize product and repair excellence, together with buyer acceptance”.
“Over the subsequent twenty years we may have a agency footing with decarbonised transportation options and will probably be making progress in the direction of turning into a pacesetter in sustainable transportation in India,” Arya stated.
Electrical buses are additionally on the playing cards, he stated. With its a number of tasks of CO2-neutral propulsion applied sciences, DICV expects to contribute to India’s journey in the direction of turning into one of many world’s high 5 industrial car markets, Arya added.
