Greenest mobile access platform trialled at PJ Hire Services 07 January 2011

PJ Hire Services has taken delivery of the first Euro 5 van in the UK to be mounted with a hybrid Versalift mobile access platform that can operate without the vehicle's engine running.

The 5.2 tonne Iveco Ecodaily 50C17 was supplied by Iveco dealer Hendy Van & Truck, and joins a 180-strong fleet of commercial vehicles operated across seven depots in southern England.

Richard Buttling, fleet manager at PJ Hire Services, explains that it was purpose-built for the street-lighting sector and will be used exclusively by PJ's largest customer, May Gurney/Cartledge, a division of parent company May Gurney.

"We're continually looking for ways to make our fleet even greener and have worked closely with Versalift to develop this new technology," says Buttling.

"By combining the environmental benefits of the Ecodaily with a hybrid lifting platform, we are setting new standards for the market and delivering a significant carbon saving for our customer," he continues.

Buttling also comments on the added value of reduced noise. "Cartledge is routinely required by councils to operate at night, and the ability to service a street light in a residential area, without the engine constantly driving a PTO, is a huge benefit," he says.

In this case, the battery is sufficiently powerful to handle 60—80 lifts per day, with the proven 3.0 litre Fiat Powertrain Technologies (FPT) engine recharging it when travelling between jobs.

Like all similar vehicles on fleet, the Ecodaily has been equipped with an emergency stop button in the cage and at the base, a manual emergency pump and twin stabilisers, operating within the vehicle's width. The van body has also been ply lined, and includes racking to enable tools and equipment to be carried, plus flashing roof beacons.

As for traction, power is delivered through the rear wheels – a feature that Buttling says helps when starting from rest on steep slopes.

The 3.0 litre, 170hp, 400Nm engine itself is Iveco's EEV (enhanced environmentally friendly vehicle), with ultra low emissions, thanks to its two-stage turbo-charged engine, EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) and DPF (diesel particulate filter), which has filter regeneration controlled by the engine management system.

Says Buttling: "The Iveco Daily and Ecodaily range ticks the box for all of our mobile access platform applications between 3.51 and 6.5 tonnes. The robust steel chassis provides a solid base for mounting the boom, whilst our experience has found the driveline delivers excellent reliability."

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Downloads
30454\Engineer_to_Engineer.pdf

Related Companies
Iveco
Versalift UK Ltd

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