Fiat Professional launches the E-Ducato, the nation’s first entirely zero-emission commercial vehicle. The solutions are different from those of the other brands of the Stellantis group, which are preparing to enter the segment in the coming months. Technological homologation and consequent economies of scale will arrive in the next few years with the progressive electrification of the range.
The battery option is also strategic in the field of logistics: Eric Laforge, head of the LCV Enlarged Europe division of the new group, has estimated a European market share of 25% within 5 years, but already 75/80% within a decade. . Among the customers of the E-Ducato is DHL, the subsidiary of Deutsche Post which had even acquired Streetscooter to develop and produce the bespoke electric delivery vehicles. The German giant who then renounced this option seems to have found in Fiat Professional a partner with whom to develop models suited to their needs.
The collaboration with DHL (7 billion investment in the conversion of the fleet, which in 2030 will be 60% zero emissions) had already begun in 2016, but Laforge did not want to say too much about the number of orders for this and for the next few years.
“With Fiat Professional – said Alberto Nobis, CEO of DHL Express Europe – we have found what we were looking for: cutting-edge technology and powerful batteries that will allow us to travel up to 370 km on a single charge to reach our customers quickly and respecting the environment “.
The electric Ducato is a model that does not impose compromises. Configurable in 400 different ways, it maintains a load volume between 10 and 17 cubic meters and a capacity of almost 2 tons. The zero-emission unit has 122 HP of power and 280 Nm of torque and can be combined with a three-module battery of 47 kWh or five of 79. The installed electrical capacity has been anticipated “best in class”.
The autonomy in the mixed cycle of Wltp homologation is between 170 and 280 kilometers: in the best of the configurations practically a hundred kilometers more than the German rivals Crafter and Sprinter. In urban areas, depending on the accumulator, it can reach 235 or 380 kilometers. With the “Turtle Mode”, the turtle mode, which is activated when the charge level is low, the performance is reduced and the distance extended. The warranty on the smaller battery is 8 years or 160,000 km, while it is 10 years or 220,000 on the larger one.
For fleet managers, Fiat Professional promises maintenance costs 40% lower than those of a conventional fueled vehicle and a return on the initial investment within 48 months with a mileage of 20,000 kilometers per year. Not to mention the benefits associated with access to restricted traffic areas and other “local” facilities. And the running costs were announced “in line with those of the diesel versions”. The E-Ducato is also flexible in charging because it has four refueling systems, three of which have been listed since launch. Orders are open from March with a price that, excluding VAT, starts at 42,700 euros. For the first six months, the manufacturer also offers the My: Fleet Manager free of charge, which allows for optimized fleet management. The standard equipment also includes the Mopar Connect.
