In Australia we call them Fuso and that is what they used to call them in the USA as well but now the Japanese arm of Daimler Truck is officially called Rizon in North America giving its Freightliner and Western Star brands ostensibly a new sibling in the U.S.
In the past few weeks Daimler Truck launched the new Rizon brand of medium-duty electric trucks, with the new name coming about as a result of the former distribution of the Fuso brand in the USA. The switch to the Rizon brand has allowed Daimler to draw a line under the old Fuso brand name and its former distributors in America.
The move will enable Daimler to not only relaunch its Japanese medium duty trucks in the USA but also to re-launch what we call the eCanter and its entire battery electric range in the Land of the Free.
The range of Rizon medium duty (Class 4-5 vehicle configurations) will be distributed exclusively by Velocity Vehicle Group, an entity that is now well known here in Australia where the Group purchased Daimler Truck’s factory owned dealerships a few years back. The story from Daimler Trucks North America is that Velocity will also offer maintenance, consulting on AC and DC charging, and financing through Daimler Truck Financial Services.
As it is ion aPotential applications will include dry vans, flatbeds, landscape dumps, and refrigerated units, Daimler Truck said in a streamed launch, referring to the vehicles with 175- and 187-inch wheelbases.
Three Rizon models will be available, delivering various operating ranges and gross vehicle weights of 15,995 to 17,995 lb. The 124-kWh e18L and e16L will offer ranges of 177 to 258 km with three battery packs, and the 83-kWh e16M will have a range of 121 to 161 km supported by two battery packs.
Daimler says the batteries can be replenished using Level 2 AC chargers or CCS1 DC fast chargers, and they’ll be mounted below the frame — protected during any side impacts by a safety frame.
The eAxle that delivers the motion combines the electric drive module, inverter and gearbox into a single assembly, eliminating the manual driveline with a prop shaft.
Safety systems will include the OEM’s Active Brake Assist and Active Side Assist, and Lane Departure Warnings, while data will be delivered through a factory-fitted telematics offering. A factory-installed ePTO is also available as an option.
Velocity has 80 outlets across the U.S., Mexico, and of course here Australia, and will be appointing other Rizon dealers across the U.S. states that are outside the dealership group’s existing catchment areas. Today’s locations in the U.S. southwest and southeast will be joined by partners in Texas and the northeast in the next few months when the combined network will also boast more than 50 150-kW charging stations from Detroit eFill and Siemens.
“We’ve collaborated with Daimler Truck early in their development stages of the Freightliner eCascadia and the eM2, by supporting the innovation fleets here in Southern California. And we’ve been running electric trucks in our own fleet,” said Velocity Vehicle Group president Brad Fauvre.
“I’ve also serviced all the trucks all the way from the early pilot projects through to the current state of operational trucks.” he added.
Rizon says that upfront costs for the new trucks will be comparable to diesel-powered medium duty Class 4 and 5 units when leveraging grants available in California, he added.
The first units have been delivered iover the past few months, with initial rollouts in Southern California, Los Angeles and San Diego.
“We know this is a very demanding segment,” said Daimler Truck board of management’s Karl Deppen.
“The Rizon brand is truly built for business. We wanted to cater to the specific needs of that segment and that is different from longhaul transportation. That is different from heavy-duty applications,” Deepen said.
“This is really a new experience in that particular segment, setting a remarkable differentiation from other products,” he added.
