Electric Fuso Canter trucks have gone on trial in Germany, with Stuttgart council and parcel firm Hermes.

The Municipality of Stuttgart will test four six tonne Fuso Canter E-Cell over a period of twelve months in a tough everyday working environment.

Two vehicles with hydraulic tipper bodies will be used in road construction and landscaping. The other two Canter E-Cell with box bodies are scheduled for municipal furniture transport and waste bin delivery tasks.

The logistics company Hermes is also participating in this one-year zero-emissions fleet test. The firm will use the Canter E-Cell for urban parcel deliveries.

An important test partner of Mercedes-Benz since as far back as the 1980s in the area of alternative drives, Hermes has more recently provided assistance in connection with the testing of the Vito E-Cell on parcel delivery routes in Berlin and Hamburg. Hermes aims by 2020 to significantly further reduce the CO2 emissions of its fleet.

Hermes has already switched to all-electric deliveries in the centre of London (operated by Commercial Fleet Awards winner Gnewt Cargo) and is also taking part in notable pilot projects in Germany.

Wolfgang Bernhard, head of Daimler trucks and buses, said: "Today's internal combustion engine is highly efficient, eco-friendly and, above all, clean – and will long remain without alternative in long-distance transport. The situation is different when it comes to urban short-radius distribution, where a switch to electric trucks will be a technical and economic possibility within a few years' time. In this way, we are making a small yet important contribution to urban mobility in Stuttgart. Daimler Trucks is at the forefront of this process – and is today, together with the Municipality of Stuttgart, taking a key step towards market maturity."