IVECO'S URBAN ANSWERS
Page 31
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• lveco has already come up with a number of concepts for urban vehicles, and some have made it to the showroom: the Daily Vendor, for example, with its multi-drop-friendly electric door for the driver, is now available throughout Europe. But the firm has also made plans for a heavier vehicle optimised for urban operation.
Dario Salved observed that, "The driver today has three jobs: driver, loader/unloader, ambassador—and the fourth could also be as part of a telematic or logistics chain.* Recognising that driving is only part of the job, Iveco's EuroTran concept aims to address the other aspects. Utilisation is the key: "We could shorten journey times, we could shorten loading/unloading times or we could use the vehicle 24 hours per day," he added. "If the multi-drop vehicle is stationary for nearly 50% of the day, can we improve the productivity of the truck while it is stationary?"
The EuroTran is still only a sketch design, but important features are known to include a low loading height, easy access for the driver and an "unthreatening" appearance: "Van styling has become much softer in the past 10 years," Salvati remarked. "Truck styling still tends to be aggressive."
The EuroTran, at a gross weight of 7.5-15 tonnes, is designed to make efficient use of crowded urban roads, As Iveco's Chris Christianson said: "One EuroTran occupies 63m of roadspace at 30mph—the four vans that it replaces would occupy 195m". The EuroTran would be shorter, lower and narrower than the current EuroCargo, to make best use of smaller-scale logistics hubs: 'We believe there should be a major shift from dedicated (out-of-town] operator hubs to shared local community warehousing," Christianson added.
But lveco recognises that a good concept is not enough. Christianson told the meeting: "The EuroTran is
not intended to be an innovative vehicle—I have seen .
too many examples of innovation which cost the customers money. The EuraTran's target price is exactly the same as the price a customer would pay for a EuroCargo chassis, plus body, plus tail-lift"