Daimler just unveiled an electric heavy-duty truck concept that could rival Tesla's semi
- Mitsubishi FUSO, a trucking division owned by Daimler, just unveiled an electric heavy duty truck concept at the Tokyo Motor Show.
- Mitsubishi FUSO is already leasing a smaller electric truck called the FUSO eCanter.
- Tesla plans to unveil an electric semitrailer on November 16.
Daimler just showed off an electric truck concept at the Tokyo Motor Show - and it could compete with Tesla's semitrailer that the company plans to reveal in early November.
Daimler is best known as the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, but the German company also owns Mitsubishi FUSO, a truck unit. Most recently, the trucking division launched an electric light-duty truck that can drive up to 80 miles on a single charge. Called the FUSO eCanter, the truck has been leased by municipalities and private companies in Tokyo, Lisbon, and New York.
Now Daimler is gearing up to put an electric, heavy-duty truck on the market. It revealed a prototype of the truck at the motor show on Wednesday in Tokyo. Mitsubishi FUSO didn't say when the vehicle will come to market.
The Class 8 concept, dubbed the E-FUSO Vision One, weighs 51,150 pounds and can drive 220 miles on a single charge, according to Mitsubishi FUSO. It will likely compete with Tesla's electric semitrailer that the company plans to unveil on November 16 after delaying the launch twice.
Tesla's truck is said to have a 200- to a 300-mile driving range and self-driving capabilities, according to Reuters.
It's still too early to tell how Mitsubishi FUSO's truck will stack up to Tesla's semi, but the Daimler-owned company is a considered a leader in the heavy duty trucking industry. Freightliner Trucks, FUSO's heavy-duty trucking division, has secured 40% market share in the US.