6 minute read
LAUNCH PAD II Fiat Ducato goes electric
New Fiat Professional E-Ducato: 100% electric, ready for action
Following an extensive collaboration project with a leading global express delivery corporation and other significant stakeholders, Fiat Professional is ready to introduce the first 100% electric version of its best-selling Ducato light commercial vehicle. Branded the E-Ducato, the development programme to create a high performing, affordable zero-emission large van has taken almost 5 years.
The development project incorporated testing of 4,000 connected vehicles that travelled over 50 million kilometres, in all driving, loading and weather conditions. The work was carried out at fast pace, replicating typical customer requirements for different types of delivery and professional tasks, enabling Fiat Professional to identify bespoke solutions from the prototype phase onwards that would be effective in the real world.
Eric Laforge, Head of LCV Enlarged Europe at Stellantis (Fiat Professional parent), commented at the launch that the new E-Ducato is ready for any mission: “For the E-Ducato, we started from the idea of creating not only a “green” vehicle, but also a complete mobility solution, characterised by versatility, reliability, efficiency and sustainability (at both an environmental and an economic level): in short, a working tool to build up your business while respecting the precepts of ecology, a model ready for every mission, uncompromisingly aiming to be the benchmark in the market and to be equipped with the same capabilities as vehicles with internal combustion engines. Its 400 configurations mean it can meet the needs of all professional operators, from freight fleets and construction companies to artisans and municipal service providers.”
In the quest for a partner offering the best value, Stellantis began a tight-knit collaboration in 2016 with DHL, a world leader in international freight transport, highly specialised in its field, strongly oriented towards innovation and experiencing real growth as a result of the e-commerce boom. From this partnership came the focus on the E-Ducato, using DHL’s real-world usage as a basis for developing a product that offers practical and sustainable electric mobility. In the words of Alberto Nobis, CEO of DHL EXPRESS Europe: “We firmly believe that the future of last-mile logistics is electric. To achieve our objective of connecting people and improving their lives, we are committed to becoming greener and cleaner in what we do every single day. By adding E-Ducatos to our fleet, we will take the next big step in reaching our goal of electrifying most of our last-mile delivery by 2030. We’ve found what we were looking for in Fiat Professional: state-of-the-art technology and powerful batteries that will enable us to travel up to 200 km on a single charge, to get to our customers quickly while respecting the environment.”
Eric Laforge, stated that the E-Ducato project is a journey towards innovation and the future: “We’re proud that a player as important as DHL
Express has chosen the E-Ducato as part of such an ambitious goal. With the E-Ducato, our task was not only to develop a sustainable product from both an economic and environmental perspective, but most of all to provide a complete mobility solution for our partners.”
With no bulk at the bottom of the chassis and ample distance between the side rails, the new model’s batteries are optimally placed under the floor, leaving intact a load capacity that ranges from 10 to 17 cu.m in volume and almost 2 tonnes of payload. Other obvious advantages of the electric van are the optimal distribution of weight and the lowering of the centre of gravity, to improve the vehicle’s handling under all load conditions. The E-Ducato can achieve equivalent performance to diesel versions, courtesy of an electric motor with maximum torque of 280 NM delivering up to 90 kW of power (approximately 122 hp) and 0-50 km/h acceleration in 5 seconds.
The E-Ducato is also fitted out with a series of modular solutions, starting from 2 different battery blocks – 47 kWh and 79 kWh, best-in-class for installed electrical capacity, and 4 types of charging modes, 3 of which are available at launch. With a 47-kWh battery, the E-Ducato can travel up to 170 km in the WLTP cycle and up to 235 km in the urban cycle. With a 79-kWh battery, the distances increase to 280 km in the WLTP cycle, equivalent to 370 km in the urban cycle. It takes no longer than half an hour to charge up enough to drive 100 km. On that front, it is also worth mentioning that the batteries have a warranty for 10 years or 220,000 km on the 79-kWh version, or 8 years/160,000 km on the 47-kWh model.
It is worth noting that, to meet such a wide and diverse range of needs, the E-Ducato also offers the Drive Mode Selector. In “Normal” position, it ensures the ideal balance between performance and costs, while it can be set to “Eco” mode to save energy. When a really heavy load needs to be carried or the vehicle is facing a demanding ascent, the right choice is “Power” mode. E-Ducato has another two features to provide drivers with peace of mind. “Turtle Mode” is similar to the battery saver function on a mobile phone. It is activated automatically when the battery is low by limiting vehicle performance to make the battery last 8-10% longer. “Recovery Mode”, makes the E-Ducato the only electric vehicle that never stops. In fact, if one battery module does not work, the others take its place to make sure it can keep going. On top of that, the maintenance costs for the E-Ducato will be about 40% lower than for a vehicle with a conventional engine. Its total cost of ownership (TCO) in typical usage can therefore be expected to be in line with diesel versions; a great result, making the vehicle sustainable not only from an environmental perspective, but also an economic one. In fact, with the E-Ducato, it is possible to achieve TCO parity (taking into account current incentive conditions and current market rates) compared to a comparable diesel vehicle in just 48 months, based on usage of 20,000 km per year.
Great importance was given over to the wide range of functions that can be activated “remotely”, including My:Fleet Manager, the new fleet management service. Using a web-based platform, fleet managers will be able to keep the main variables for each unit in the fleet under control in real time, including mileage, location and updates on maintenance, charging schedule and much more. All this with the aim of improving fleet efficiency and productivity, reducing costs, preventing risks, and ensuring the safety of both the vehicle and the driver.
On top of that, the inclusion of Mopar Connect as standard on all E-Ducatos provides a wide range of other services, such as assistance in the event of an accident or breakdown (the telematics box, which detects the vehicle’s location, ensures prompt, targeted service 24/7). If the vehicle is stolen, the system can locate it and prevent it from being restarted, to make it easier to find. The Uconnect LIVE mobile app means you can check whether you have closed the doors, find where you’ve parked it and receive an alert if the vehicle is moved from its previous location or exceeds a preset speed limit.
The Uconnect LIVE mobile app also includes a wide range of other features, such as my:Car, providing remote control of battery level or tire pressure, as well as monthly vehicle health reports. There is also the my:Journey service, to view and manage all vehicle movements, and the my:eCharge pack, developed specifically for the E-Ducato, to plan charging, find, use and pay for public charge points, and manage charging from your connected Wallbox.
