Iveco produces the Eurocargo 'glider' chassis at its factory in Brescia. Electra offers 100 % electric-powered HGVs. Now, the company will be able to provide electric vehicles across the full Eurocargo line-up, with gross vehicle weights from 7.5 to 19-tonnes.
The progress to the manufacturing of a dedicated glider chassis – the name for a vehicle without a power train – will help to ensure maximum efficiency for Electra, and will support faster delivery times to clients.
Sid Sadique, Chairman of Electra Commercial Vehicles commented: ‘ We have added the Eurocargo to our range because the Iveco design is ideally suited to electrification and offers optimal bodybuilding flexibility. Once Electra has finished the conversion process, the HGV can operate on clean electric power, with zero tailpipe emissions and very low noise.
Sid commented: ‘We have received a lot of interest from customers because the Eurocargo has such wide appeal in the market. It is a truck most fleets and bodybuilders are already familiar with, and is perfect for everything from dry and temperature-controlled multi-drop urban distribution, to highways maintenance and even refuse collection applications.’
Power is provided by an electric traction motor which delivers up to 350kW of peak power and 3,400Nm of peak torque, or continuous power of 260kW and 2,060Nm of torque.
Electra offers customers an array of mission-specific lithium iron phosphate batteries, with choices including 140kWh, 205kWh, 225kWh and 287kWh – giving vehicles an extended working range suitable for most urban applications. The recharging time for a 205kWh vehicle is approximately five hours at 44kW, enabling operators to recharge the truck in between shifts comfortably.
Sascha Kaehne, Business Director of Iveco UK & Ireland, commented: ‘Electra saw the potential for taking one of the most popular medium trucks on UK roads and adding it to its range. Our teams have worked closely in partnership to develop the Eurocargo for electrification, and the finished product directly supports our sustainability goals.’
Kaehne added: ‘This is a manufacturer-backed conversion using parts sourced from tier-one automotive suppliers, which means we are happy to support these vehicles across our dealer network. That’s an immense selling point for Electra. It means the company can offer customers a product backed by both their own NRG Fleet Services network and by every single Iveco dealer in the country too.’
One of the first vehicles to enter operation is an Electra SEIV 19-350, built on a 4×2 rigid Eurocargo chassis plated at 19-tonnes and with a Paneltex temperature-controlled box body.
This demonstrator, developed with Iveco-dealer Guest Truck and Van, has been followed by a second Electra SEIV 19-350 equipped with a Bucher Municipal Phoenix salt spreader body and Bucher Municipal snowplough with electro-hydraulic control pack – built on a 3,890mm wheelbase with a 205kWh battery pack and dual 22kW onboard chargers. Transport Scotland currently operates this vehicle on the
Electra’s engineers have developed the spreader with a total unladen weight of just 10,300kg, including the chassis, batteries, electric traction motor and all ancillary equipment. With derogation allowing for up to a tonne of extra weight for the alternative fuel driveline, this means a 19-tonne model has only a 360kg loss of payload compared to a standard 18-tonne diesel-powered equivalent.
Sid concluded: ‘Since adding the Eurocargo to our range, interest has spiralled and we literally can’t build them quickly enough. We have the perfect medium weight truck for city deliveries, and we are confident we have created a game-changing commercial vehicle fit for the future.’
For more information and press enquiries, contact:
Ann-Marie Knegt
Email: am.knegt@visiecommunications.co.uk
Mobile: 07888 692 339
