Launched at IAA
The eDaily was first shown to the world at the IAA Transportation exhibition in Hannover last year. It won’t be heading for sunny South Africa just yet – but it will arrive here in time.
Elvis Mutseura, product marketing manager at Iveco SA, says the local company is actively engaging with Italy on this topic. “We have had the opportunity to showcase this technology to some customers we managed to take to Italy last year. We will definitely be bringing some demonstrator units to South Africa, though this is only likely to happen towards the end of 2023 or early 2024,” he reveals.
Meanwhile, over in Europe, the eDaily is being snapped up by astute transport operators. Incredibly, the Petit Forestier Group – a European leader in refrigerated vehicle and container rental – ordered a whopping 2,000 eDaily chassis cabs for its rental fleet during the IAA.
Why the massive order at the global launch? Well, we have driven the eDaily and we can fully understand Petit Forestier’s enthusiasm. It’s a sensational – and extremely versatile – vehicle. The “electric twin” of the iconic Daily offers the full range with all body variants – van, cab and minibus, from 3.5 to 7.2 tonnes. It features a 37kWh fully modular battery set that allows range optimization and makes the eDaily adaptable to all applications.
It also breaks new ground by introducing electric vehicles in the conversion business with the game-changing opportunity to install different types of ePTOs up to 15 kW. This means that it can power refrigeration units, cranes and other superstructures – even the most demanding ones such as waste collection and aerial platforms. We can’t wait to see it in South Africa!
Heavyweight record
But back to the breaking news: the Guinness World Record. Demonstrating its strength and robustness, the all-electric eDaily – specifically a 3.5-tonne van derivative – has claimed the official Guinness World Record title for the ‘Heaviest weight towed by an electric van’.
The Iveco eDaily is known for its class-leading 3.5-tonne towing capacity and strong truck-based chassis, with the van’s robust engineering now cementing its place in the history books with an official Guinness World Record.
“Towing an incredible 153.58 tonnes, this standard production electric vehicle is now globally recognised for its extensive capabilities. In fact, this achievement surpasses records set by all-wheel drive electric cars, an impressive feat delivered by the eDaily’s 140kW rear-wheel drive drivetrain with 400Nm of torque,” explains Mutseura.
The record-breaking eDaily was hitched to the enormous Iveco X-Way Strator truck. This mighty machine was specially engineered to cope with moving large-scale loads of up to 150 tonnes.
The truck’s trailer was laden with a huge earthmover weighing in excess of 50 tonnes, with an additional seven tonnes of ballast being added for good measure. A fully loaded Iveco X-Way 8x4 tipper truck was then attached to the Strator’s trailer before an all-terrain airport fire truck completed the 153-tonne road train.
Successful run
Once it started moving, the eDaily made steady progress down the stipulated 100ft of runway and crossed the finish line in front of the Guinness World Records inspectors to claim its impressive accolade.
The van’s “hi-power” mode – fitted to every eDaily as standard – was utilised during the run. This feature provides bursts of additional power in demanding towing conditions for the all-electric van. It’s also extremely handy when overtaking. Britain’s current Strongest Man, Adam Bishop, drove the eDaily and broke the world record.
Fabio Santiago, Head of Marketing and Product Management Iveco Truck Business Unit, is understandably proud of the achievement: “The Iveco eDaily has made history with this impressive record, giving further evidence of its strength, durability, and outstanding capabilities. We are proud of this achievement as it demonstrates the eDaily’s capacity to push the boundaries, outperforming traditional electric vehicles and enabling customers to pursue the energy transition without compromise.”
Mutseura concurs. “The Iveco eDaily made EV history and highlights the benefits of its body-on-frame concept and the immediate torque delivery of its electric motor. Operators undertaking demanding towing missions can rest assured that the eDaily is more than capable of its official up to 3.5 tonnes towing capacity,” he concludes.
You can watch a video of the record attempt here.
