Introducing S-eWay
In order to introduce this battery-electric truck, we need to step back to the end of 2019. That’s when Iveco – along with its partner Nikola – showed the world its electric truck. The truck was called the Tre, and we were at its global debut in Italy.
The reveal of the truck followed the signing of a deal in September 2019, whereby Iveco’s then holding company, CNH Industrial, announced that it would take a $250 million stake in Nikola. “Iveco and FPT Industrial will assist in engineering and manufacturing expertise to industrialise Nikola’s fuel-cell and battery-electric trucks. The following vehicles will benefit from this partnership: the Nikola One, a Class 8 sleeper truck; the Nikola Two, a Class 8 day-cab truck; and the Nikola Tre, a European cab-over heavy-duty truck,” it revealed at the time.
The Tre was subsequently built in Iveco’s Ulm plant, and it was launched in grand style in September 2021. But then, for various reasons (too many to cover in this article), Iveco and Nikola got divorced. However, the collaboration gave Iveco a foot in the electric vehicle door – and the partnership contributed to the Italian company launching its very own electric truck, namely the S-eWay. As Luca Sra, president of Iveco’s truck business unit, told journalists at the event in Ulm, the positives of the parting of the ways (no pun intended) far outweigh the negatives. “Nikola was a tremendous facilitator and accelerator on our journey, and if it wasn’t for that relationship, I don’t think we would be here in this place with the technology we have.”
The truck in a nutshell
Fast forward to 2024, and Iveco is launching two zero-emission trucks: the Iveco S-eWay battery-electric vehicle (BEV) and the Iveco S-eWay fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV). We toured the factory in Ulm where the trucks are produced (it looks more like a hospital than a truck plant) and we drove the BEV, specifically a 4x2 truck tractor with a range of 500km.
Exterior
In our opinion, the S-Way is the most gorgeous truck on our roads, and the same can be said of the S-eWay, which looks much like its diesel sibling. The only noticeable signs that this vehicle is battery-powered are the blue accents on the grille and the S-eWay badge on the driver’s door. However, don't be fooled by its familiar appearance; Iveco didn’t just electrify a diesel truck tractor. Unlike many of its competitors, this vehicle was designed to be electrically powered from the beginning.
Interior
While the exterior looks a lot like a diesel-powered S-Way, there are some differences in the interior. For instance, there’s a 12.8-inch digital display in front of the driver (which is different from the one in the 2024 model year S-Way). There’s also a massive 17-inch touchscreen infotainment display in the centre of the dashboard (which controls the sat-nav, audio, and climate functions). Both screens were developed by Nikola – and they may not be featured in the next generation S-eWay.
Drivetrain
The S-eWay’s drivetrain is super interesting – in that the truck has an eAxle (this is a seriously good thing because an eAxle contributes to performance, efficiency, and overall design flexibility). The eAxle – which goes hand in hand with a single-speed transmission – was developed in-house by Fiat Powertrain. The dual-motor eAxle provides 480kW of continuous power and 1,800Nm of torque. There are other electric trucks that are more powerful – but this doesn’t stop the S-eWay from delivering exceptionally good performance. The acceleration, for instance, is exemplary (our test truck was running at 36 tonnes…but it felt as nimble as a mountain goat).
The truck has nine 82kWh batteries, supplied by Proterra in the US and Microvast in China, which weigh around 4 tonnes. Using a 350kW charger, it takes about 90 minutes to charge the batteries to 80%.
The S-eWay has an engine brake, which operates the braking recuperation system – and this feature means that it’s almost never necessary to dab the foot brake.
Safety
As is the case with all Iveco trucks, safety is a priority. Various Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) – such as a blind spot warning information system, driver drowsiness detection and traffic jam assist – have been incorporated in the latest trucks.
Verdict
As regular readers will know, we love electric trucks. What’s not to love? They’re super quiet, there’s almost no vibration and they’re great fun to drive (because of the incredible acceleration). The S-eWay absolutely fits the bill in this regard; it’s utterly magnificent to drive.
So, when will a right-hand drive version be available in South Africa? Well, that depends – on a lot of things. According to Elvis Mutseura, product marketing manager at Iveco South Africa, there is already local demand for the truck. “We are actively working to prepare the ground for the S-eWay, and we are receiving calls from operators who are keen to learn more and are seriously evaluating adoption. We sat with a transporter this week who is very keen on electrification, and they even have some offshore funding to support their transition,” he reveals.
But the company has to tread cautiously. “Officially, we are collaborating with others under the auspices of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (naamsa) to lobby government for legislative changes that will support the adoption of e-trucks and other alternative fuels. The proposals include increasing axle and GVM and GCM limits to allow similar payloads to diesel (the batteries on BEVs are heavy). A vehicle and combination length increase will allow vehicles with larger natural gas tanks to compete with diesel,” he points out.
Iveco South Africa is planning to bring in one or two units to serve as proof of concept. “But,” says Mutseura, “the timelines for this are still on the horizon somewhere.”
Having said this, the local introduction could be fast tracked. “The customer is king, and it is very possible that we may move faster than we have in mind,” he concludes.
We know that it’s going to be tough for Iveco to bring this BEV to market. After all, as Mutseura points out, government will need to change legislation – and the wheels of bureaucracy can grind terribly slowly. In addition, government incentives for “going green” would be most helpful. An extensive charging infrastructure and a plentiful supply of green electricity are, of course, needed. The purchase price of electric trucks will also need to drop. Once this all happens (and we have no doubt that it will happen eventually), there’s no reason to believe that the S-eWay won’t be a success – because it’s a really good truck.
