IVECO and Electra Commercial Vehicles on full charge with Eurocargo electrification project

Monday 3rd February 2020

IVECO is to begin production of Eurocargo ‘glider’ chassis at its factory in Brescia, as part of a collaboration with Blackburn-based Electra Commercial Vehicles. The UK company has begun offering 100 per cent electric-powered vehicles for city centre deliveries across the full Eurocargo line-up, with gross vehicle weights from 7.5 to 19-tonnes.

The move to production of a dedicated glider chassis – the name for a vehicle without a power train – will help to ensure maximum efficiency for Electra’s manufacturing programme, and will support faster delivery times to customers.

Sid Sadique, Chairman of Electra and NRG Fleet Services, says the firm added the Eurocargo to its range because the IVECO model is perfectly suited to electrification and offers maximum bodybuilding flexibility. Once the conversion process is finished, an Electra commercial vehicle can operate on clean electric power, with zero tailpipe emissions and very low noise.

He explains: “We have received a lot of interest from customers because the Eurocargo has such wide appeal in the market. It’s 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 a choice of mission-specific lithium iron phosphate batteries, with options 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 comfortably recharge the vehicle in between shifts.

Sascha Kaehne, Business Director of IVECO UK & Ireland says: “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. It also complements our newly formed partnership with Nikola, and the planned September 2020 launch of the Nikola Tre – our first battery electric heavy truck.”

One of the first vehicles to enter operation following the collaboration 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 & 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.

Electra’s engineers have developed the gritter 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.

Commenting on future orders, Sadique concludes: “Since adding the Eurocargo to our range interest has spiralled and we literally can’t build them quickly enough. This is the perfect medium weight truck for city deliveries and we’re confident we’ve created a game-changing commercial vehicle fit for the future.”