Collaboration appears to be the way Iveco will navigate its way toward a zero emission future, with the Italian brand revealing at the IAA 2022 in Hannover this week, some key alignments with both Nikola and Hyundai for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Iveco global CEO Gerrit Marx was front and centre on the company’s stand highlighting its three key brands: Iveco truck, Iveco Bus and FPT Industrial, the newly spun off power train supplier which has emerged from its former parent company CNH Industrial. FPT stands for Fiat Power Trains, the first time the Fiat name has been heard of with Iveco for some years.
Marx told the gathered media that the three brands would be showcasing innovations that represent a fundamental step forward in Iveco Group’s strategy to offer a full range of sustainable transport solutions for customers, while contributing to its pledge to reach net zero carbon by 2040.
Marx helped reveal the “Iveco Group Way” concept which involves the company partnering with “relevant, like-minded, game-changing organisations such as Amazon Web Services, Hyundai, Microvast, Nikola and Plus, which will drive the transition to the mobility of the future together”.
“Here today Iveco and Nikola Corporation give substance to a new era in zero-emission, heavy-duty long haulage, with the commercial launch of the Nikola Tre Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) in its European configuration,” Marx said.
Iveco has stayed the course with Nikola after investing around $US250 million as a buy in to its hydrogen fuel cell tech, despite the US start ups problems with the US SEC over alleged fraudulent claims by founder Trevor Milton.
Iveco and Nikola also unveiled what they described as the beta version of the Nikola Tre Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV), which they claim will enter the European market in 2024. The Tre BEV truck has been in series production in an Iveco factory in Austria for the past few months and deliveries have apparently already started.
Both the BEV and FCEV vehicles are based on what Iveco and Nikola say is the “first-ever electric modular platform for articulated heavy-duty trucks, for missions of approximately 500 km (BEV) or 800 km (FCEV) in their initial launch configurations”.
Asked by T&B News when Australia might see a Nikola battery electric or FCEV truck, Marx said they were “definitely on the agenda”, but that it might have to wait until around 2026 at this stage.
“There is definite interest, but a number of things will have to be aligned before we can get Nikola down under,” Marx said.
The other big FCEV news at IAA was the announcement of a parallel collaboration with Korean maker Hyundai.
Iveco revealed the prototype of its eDaily Fuel Cell Electric light truck which uses powered Hyundai’s fuel cell system at the show.
“This advancement is a tangible outcome of the collaboration between Iveco Group and Hyundai Motor Company, which began with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2022,” said Marx.
Iveco also launched its new battery electric eDaily at the show, using its own technology
“Sustainable mobility is also a key focus for Iveco Bus showcasing its zero-emission passenger transport solutions with the new E-Way, 100 per cent electric city bus,” Marx said.
“Meanwhile, consistent with its coordinated multi-energy approach towards sustainable propulsion, FPT Industrial is revealing three world premieres, including a multi-fuel engine capable of running on natural gas, hydrogen, or blends of both, along with a new generation of e-axles for medium and heavy commercial vehicles; and a new battery pack for buses,” he added.
“Iveco Group is on the move, and we will play an important role in defining the future of mobility”, said Marx.
“We are effectively building on our strong heritage and will offer an ample range of commercial vehicles powered by a smart mix of renewable fuels, as well as battery and fuel cell electric propulsions, enabling our customers to successfully operate in the transport market of tomorrow,” he added.
“A market that will not focus on a single technology to replace diesel, not only for obvious technical reasons, but also for the urgent need to make an impact now – and avoid another geopolitical dependency on resources attached to one single source,” the German boss of the Italian conglomerate said
