Daimler’s Fuso returns to US as Rizon with medium-duty electric trucks

Three years after Daimler Truck pulled Fuso from the US market, the Japanese brand is making a comeback as Rizon, which brings rebadged eCanter medium-duty electric trucks to the States to offer a wider gamut of EV options to transporters.

Daimler Truck is not saying as much, but the newly-announced Rizon brand for the US and its e16 and e18 models do look strikingly similar to the Fuso eCanter, which was presented at the IAA Transportation in Hannover last September.

Perfect timing

Daimler had retracted the Fuso brand from the US back in 2020, but is now bringing the smaller trucks back thanks to their battery-electric drivetrain, which means the company can offer a wide range of EV options in the truck space, from medium- to heavy-duty with the electric Freightliner models.

This move also coincides with California voting unanimously for the Advanced Clean Fleet rule, which obligates transport fleets to purchase a certain percentage of zero-emission vehicles.

The first deadline is set for 2025, when 10% of the box trucks in these fleets have to be electric, with larger work trucks and day cab tractors following in 2027 and sleeper cabs and specialty vehicles in 2030.

Three model variants

Rizon is launching three model variants based on the same platform: the e16M, e16L, and the e18L. These are class 4 and 5 medium-duty battery-electric trucks, with a gross vehicle weight of 15 995 to 17 995 lbs (7 255 to 8 162 kg) and a range of 75 to 160 miles (121 to 257 km) thanks to an 83 to 124 kWh battery pack.

Customers have the option to choose between different structure types, such as box trucks, flatbeds, and temperature-controlled reefer trucks. Deliveries are set to begin in Q4 2023 through an exclusive distribution and service partnership with Velocity Vehicle Group.