2023_11_Sustainable Truck&Van

AT A GLANCE
THE FIRST IVECO-BRANDED ZERO EMISSION TRUCKS
Every end is a new beginning
THE NEW IVECO TRUCKS COME FROM THE END OF THE JV WITH NIKOLA
MAN STARTED SELLING ITS VERY FIRST ELECTRIC TRUCK MODELS
E-truck buyers awaited
THE FIRST 200 UNITS SCHEDULED TO ROLL OUT NEXT YEAR
Following the end of the joint venture with Nikola and the
creation of the EVCO brand, IVECO introduced the heavy-duty
battery-electric and fuel cell trucks marketed under its own brand.
Of course, the trucks are a re-branding of the zero-emission models
developed in the latest years in cooperation with Nikola.
More into details, the IVECO HD BEV has a range of up to 500
km. It features a total battery capacity of 738 kWh (9 packs) with
charging power up to 350 kW, which enables hub-to-hub delivery
missions, a wide range of regional applications, and even missions
requiring extended mileage with charging opportunity during
mandated driver stops. The Artic 4×2 configuration will be the first
to enter the European market in the last quarter of 2023.
On the other hand, the IVECO HD FCEV boasts a range of up to 800
km. With a fast-refuelling time of under 20 minutes, it is conceived
for the long-haul mission in heavy commercial transportation. It
can accommodate 70 kg of H2 usable energy at 700-bar pressure.
According to the plans previously made public by IVECO, the first
units of the IVECO-branded FCEVs will be delivered by the end of
2023, namely in France, Switzerland and Germany, as planned in
the H2Haul European project co-financed by the Clean Hydrogen
Partnership aimed at accelerating the deployment of hydrogen
solutions in the commercial transport industry and enabling the
large-scale fuel cell truck market in the coming years. The IVECO
HD BEV and FCEV feature an electric axle co-designed and
produced by FPT Industrial, IVECO’s sister brand within Iveco
Group specialized in powertrain. Fuel cell technology and key
components are manufactured by Bosch.
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E-VANS TOGETHER
Two major groups (actually, three) join forces for
electric vans of the future. Volvo and Renault,
with the addition of French logistics group
CMA CGM, today announced plans to form
a new entity with the aim to design a shared
architecture that will be the basis for future
electric vans.
The new company, which will be based in
France, is expected to be launched in 2024, with
production scheduled to start in 2026, according
to the partners’ plans. The vehicles will be built
on “on a new fully electric LCV skateboard
platform that will offer high modularity for different
body types at low cost and breakthrough on
safety requirements”.
Dragged into court
British e-truck manufacturer Tevva is about to file a
lawsuit against ElectraMeccanica (EMV), following
the missed merger agreement between the two
companies, which had been announced at the end
of August, this year. In October, e-mobility specialist
ElectraMeccanica announced the intention to step
back. This was the beginning of quite a harsh
communication battle, which will end in court.
“The Tevva team was deeply disappointed by this
abrupt decision and had no opportunity to respond
to ElectraMeccanica’s claims before they went
public”, stated the British manufacturer of zero
emission trucks.
At the same
time, the lawsuit
is not supposed
to change the
company’s
operations and
targets, at the
moment.
At the end of October, MAN Truck & Bus has officially launched
sales of the eTruck, the first heavy-duty electric truck in the Lion’s
history. According to the manufacturer’s statement, at least 600
order inquiries have already been received, with the first 200 units
scheduled to roll out to selected customers as early as 2024.
With the eMobility Center, MAN laid the foundation for the
development of the new MAN eTGX and MAN eTGS highvolume
electric trucks at its Munich plant around two years ago
and invested heavily in preparations for mixed production of diesel
and electric trucks. 50 prototypes have since been built, and around
4,000 employees from production and sales have been trained for
the switch to electric mobility. At MAN’s Nuremberg site, MAN is
investing around €100 million in setting up battery production.
Developed by MAN specifically for use in commercial vehicles,
batteries will be mass-produced at the Nuremberg plant from 2025.
With their NMC cell chemistry and specially developed temperature
management, the battery packs offer high energy density with a
compact design, long service life and fast charging – even with low
residual battery charge and low outside temperatures.
Focus on hydrogen
SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY WITH NO BARRIERS
Tackling the big issue of sustainable
mobility must contemplate a distinct
change in mindset. Perhaps the
main message we take home after
participating in the second edition of
the Global Mobility Call in Madrid is as
much intangible as it is perspective.
The Spanish exhibition, born on the
initiative of Smobhub, an aggregator
of companies, and actors of
tomorrow’s mobility, and with the active
collaboration of Ifema Madrid, is in fact
an attempt to “bring together under
one roof all the key stakeholders and
actors in the ecosystem of sustainable
mobility,” as Juan José Lillo, co-founder
of Smobhub, creator and curator of
the event, told us. Although focused
on the Spanish market, Global Mobility
Via the HYLA brand, Nikola has officially launched its
hydrogen fuel cell truck with a dedicated ceremony
in Coolidge, Arizona, where the manufacturer has
its HQs. Nikola’s hydrogen fuel cell electric truck
features a range of up to 500 miles (800 km) and an
estimated fueling time as low as 20 minutes.
According to the U.S.-based manufacturer, Nikola
and its dealers have received 223 non-binding orders
for its hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks from 23
customers.
Notable fleet operators such as J.B. Hunt, AJR
Trucking, Biagi Bros. and TTSI, are among the
growing list of customers committing to the future of
sustainable trucking. It’s quite useful to remind that
since the end of the joint venture with Iveco, Nikola’s
truck business now focuses only on the North
American market and mainly on hydrogen-powered
trucks.
Call is evidently trying to become
more international, and with some
appreciable results, gathering 500
speakers, more than 100 exhibitors and
over 8,000 professionals, 60 per cent of
which in apex managerial position.
The second edition of the
Global Mobility Call was
held in Madrid from 24
to 26 October. The next
edition is scheduled in
November 2024.
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