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Daimler declares success in electric truck trial [w/video]

Last year, Daimler launched a project to see how eight Fuso Canter E-Cells performed in daily urban service in Portugal. After over 32,000 miles on the road, the newly released results showed astounding figures. Compared to their diesel-counterparts, the commercial EVs slashed operating costs by 64 percent. The trucks were also great for the environment with a 37-percent drop in CO2 emissions after taking into account how the country makes power. Daimler gave the trucks to Portuguese cities and businesses, and the users definitely didn't baby them. In Lisbon, the EV disposed of vegetation, and the Canter E-Cell collected recyclables in Porto. The one with the parcel service Transporta covered over 8,700 miles to make deliveries during the year. On average, the testers used the vehicles about 31 miles a day, but 68 miles was the record distance during the trial. "The results of the practical tests have shown that we are on the right track," Marc Llistosella, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation said in Daimler's announcement. The Daimler Trucks Centre of Competence for Hybrid Technology developed the small run of Canter E-Cells. The models ditch the usual 3.0-liter diesel in favor of an electric motor that produces 148 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Four lithium-ion battery packs with a total of 48.4 kWh are mounted to two sides of the frame. To maximize the range, the system begins recovering energy as soon as the driver lets off the throttle. Check out the video below for a look at how the Portuguese testers put the commercial EVs through their paces. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Silent and with zero emissions Stuttgart/Porto, Oct 30, 2015 FUSO Canter E-Cell impresses with more than 50,000 kilometres driven 64 percent lower costs compared with conventional diesel engines in customer field trials in Portugal Powerful, high-torque electric motor Targeted operating range of at least 100 kilometres achieved Stuttgart/Porto – 64 percent savings in operating costs - this is the gratifying result of the final analysis of data from customer field trials with eight FUSO Canter E-Cell trucks in Portugal. Apart from the impressive savings in operating costs, the Canter E-Cell also scores points in terms of environmental aspects.

PSA shares rise following FCA's breakup with Renault

Shares in Groupe PSA, parent company of automakers Peugeot, Citroen and the DS brand, rose on Thursday as analysts considered the possibility that Fiat Chrysler could turn back to PSA after withdrawing its $35 billion merger offer for Renault. "Both parties have acknowledged the need for scale or [mergers and acquisitions] and may pursue other opportunities. If Nissan was an obstacle (to an FCA-Renault deal) PSA-FCA discussions could resume," wrote brokerage Jefferies. Back in March at the Geneva Motor Show, rumors started swirling that PSA was interested in a potential merger with FCA. Mike Manley, who took over at the helm of Fiat Chrysler following the death of Sergio Marchionne, had indicated a willingness to look into potential partnership options. Of course, that was all before FCA proposed a merger with Renault — with that deal now off the table, attention naturally turns back to PSA, which is also based in France. "We expect both shares to react negatively but see FCA having wider strategic options and Renault shares more downside risk near-term," said Jefferies. According to Reuters, PSA shares were up 1.5% at the time this was published, making it the top-performing stock on France's benchmark CAC-40 Index. Renault saw its shares slump 7%. Shares for FCA fell 3% in early trading on the Milan Stock Exchange. Considering that FCA said in its statement confirming the withdraw of its merger offer with Renault that "political conditions in France do not currently exist for such a combination to proceed successfully," we have to wonder how keen the company is to begin negotiations with another French automaker like PSA. Those thoughts were similarly voiced by Bernstein Research analyst Max Warburton, who said (via Forbes), "Expect PSA to rise on unrealistic hopes it may be FCA's next date." Earnings/Financials Chrysler Fiat Mitsubishi Nissan Citroen Peugeot Renault FCA renault-nissan

2022 Mitsubishi Outlander pricing, fuel economy announced

Mitsubishi has announced pricing on what is probably the most compelling — and important to the company's future — product in a decade, the 2022 Outlander. As we learned at the reveal, the base ES trim will start at $25,795, or $26,990 when the destination charge is factored in. Fuel economy figures are also in, giving the Outlander a rating of 24 miles per gallon in the city, 31 on the highway and 27 combined for the front-wheel-drive model. Mitsubishi's S-AWC all-wheel-drive system, which is available on any trim for $1,800, drops one mpg highway and combined. By way of comparison, the base 2021 Nissan Roque, which uses a similar engine and platform, gets 27 city, 35 highway and 30 combined in front-wheel drive guise. That combined figure matches that of the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. It's worth noting that the Mitsubishi Outlander comes standard with a third row for seven-passenger seating, so a direct comparison with the Rogue isn't exactly fair. The ES comes with what is now an obligatory suite of tech, like automatic braking forward and rear, blind spot warnings, and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. 18-inch alloy wheels are standard, but a $1,000 convenience package adds 20-inchers and the Mitsubishi Connect remote services smartphone link (which comes with 24 months free). That places the three-row ES below the Toyota RAV4 but above the Honda CR-V. Next up is the SE trim, ringing in at $28,845 with everything the ES offers and adding 20-inch wheels, heated front seats and side mirrors, proximity unlocking, and a leather steering wheel. Here, the tech content is boosted quite a bit, with the bird's-eye multi-view camera system, parking sensors, and wireless phone charging. You no longer need an upgrade package to get Mitsubishi Connect, and it also has MiPilot Assist which adds adaptive cruise with stop and go in traffic, lane keeping assist, and traffic sign recognition. The touchscreen gets bumped from 8 to 9 inches, and USB charging ports become available for rear passengers as well. A $2,300 SE Tech Package adds a 12.3-inch LCD instrument panel, premium sound system by Bose, and panoramic sunroof.  The top-spec SEL stickers at $31,945, building upon the other trims while adding the aforementioned 12.3-inch multi-function display, leather seats, 4-way power seats key-linked to memory, three-zone climate control, roof rails, and heated rear seats.