UK / Italy – Iveco SpA of Turin, Italy is now producing Eurocargo 'Glider' chassis (chassis without a driveline) in its Brescia factory, as part of a collaboration with UK-based electric drivetrain specialist, Electra Commercial Vehicles Ltd of Blackburn. Electra has begun offering 100% electric-powered vehicles for city centre deliveries across the full Eurocargo line-up, with gross vehicle weights ranging from 7.5 to 19-tonnes.

The move to production of a dedicated glider chassis will help to ensure maximum efficiency for Electra’s manufacturing programme and support faster delivery times to customers, said the partners. Sid Sadique, chairman of Electra and NRG Fleet Services, said the firm added the Eurocargo to its range because it is perfectly suited to electrification and offers maximum bodybuilding flexibility. Once the conversion process is finished, an Electra commercial vehicle can operate on clean electric power, with zero tailpipe emissions and very low noise. He explained: “We have received a lot of interest from customers because the Eurocargo has such wide appeal in the market. It’s a truck most fleets and bodybuilders are already familiar with and is perfect for everything from dry and temperature-controlled multi-drop urban distribution, to highways maintenance and even refuse collection applications.”