World’s first all-electric truck takes to racetrack
The world’s first all-electric race truck – an Iveco – has made an impressive truck racing debut. The truck, driven by Jochen Hahn, won race four during round four of the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship (ETRC). The race took place at the Nürburgring in Germany on 16 July.
Illustrious partnership
The debut of the electric race truck brings together three equally important entities, namely driver Hahn, truck manufacturer Iveco and race organiser, Goodyear FIA ETRC.
Hahn dominates Goodyear FIA ETRC
Hahn is arguably the defining talent of his generation and, to date, the 49-year-old German is the most successful truck racing driver in the Goodyear FIA ETRC. Hahn followed in the footsteps of his late father Konrad Hahn, starting in truck racing in 1999. Success came immediately and he scored a grand slam of wins at Misano in 2000. He was named Rookie of the Year at season end.
Since then, Hahn has won championship after championship. His glory years came between 2011 and 2014 – with a hat-trick of title wins in ’11, ’12 and 13. 2016 saw a fourth title fall to the brilliant German. Hahn won a race at every round and his remarkable consistency netted him a well-deserved title.
2017 marked a new era for Team Hahn Racing as it swapped its proven MAN for an all-new Iveco. The four-time champion started his campaign with a victory but later experienced some teething problems with his new truck. He ended up with a runner-up position, with four race wins to his name.
The 2018 season was a masterclass from Hahn. On his way to a historic, fifth title, the German was a dominant force. He was victorious during every single round of the season. 2019 marked another successful year for Team Hahn, with the talented German scoring 13 race wins and winning his sixth ETRC title.
Hahn took five podiums in a shortened 2020 season. 2021 was a mixed season for the German champion as Hahn initially struggled with the pace of his new Iveco S-Way. Hahn had a good season in 2022 with two wins and several podium finishes.
Enter the Iveco electric truck
At the end of June 2022, the FIA World Motorsport Council ratified the technical regulations for the Goodyear FIA ETRC 2023, which allows all-electric and hybrid powertrains alongside the current generation of combustion engine race trucks. Hahn’s interest was piqued!
Accordingly, for the following nine months, he and his team worked around the clock to get the eTruck ready for its debut. "After the last race in 2022, we started designing the truck from scratch," said Hahn. "The bodywork was designed, we constructed the chassis, and of course, the technology that goes underneath it."
The Iveco has an 800V power supply system, and a four-piece Kreisel battery pack featuring Li-ion cells. The weight per pack is 408 kg. The truck boasts peak power of 840 kW, a top speed of 160 km/h and a weight of 5,500kg.
Entity number three: Goodyear FIA ETRC
It may seem odd for an electric truck to be starring at the racetrack – but this fits into the sustainability transformation of the Goodyear FIA ETRC, which aims to make truck racing even more sustainable and reduce the series' carbon footprint.
Together with the FIA, ETRA has been working for several years to pave the way for alternative powertrains in truck racing, allowing every technology and energy form, be it synthetic fuel, hybrid, or electric, to compete on the same grid. FIA experts are already working on ensuring the necessary energy supply at the racetracks to adequately and quickly power the new generation of race trucks.
The Goodyear FIA ETRC will continue to pursue a leading approach to meet the technical developments in the industry. "We have the unique opportunity to positively shape the reputation of the commercial vehicle industry and instil the idea of trucks as sustainable means of transport in people's minds," says ETRA Managing Director Georg Fuchs.
"If we can demonstrate that new developments and technologies work reliably under the extreme conditions of motorsport, it will help with understanding and accepting new technologies in everyday road use. Big congratulations to Jochen and his entire team and partners, who are involved in the eTruck project for successfully taking on this challenge," adds Fuchs.
“Iveco is one of our long-standing, valued partners as well as a manufacturer and it's great to see their strong commitment to driving the sustainability transformation, not only in the transport industry but also in motorsport,” he notes.
We wonder when Hahn’s electric Iveco will be joined by electric trucks from other manufacturers. It can only be a matter of time…
Photography by Richard Kienberger.
