Iveco expands fuel efficient truck range with Ecostralis19 January 2011

Armed with a range of fuel-saving solutions, Iveco has now launched its Ecostralis, which, according to tests, offers fuel economy improvements of more than 7%.

The truck, which was unveiled at last year's IAA in Hannover, has an uprated version of the Cursor 10 engine under the bonnet, offering 460bhp – an extra 10bhp. This, coupled with some engine remapping, enabled test facility TÜV SÜD to confirm a 7.32% improvement in economy – making it not only the most frugal truck in the Ecostralis family, but also in its vehicle class.

Interestingly, Iveco's new truck comes equipped with an ECO-switch, which uses information about the vehicle's weight to limit engine torque in line with gross vehicle weight. According to the company, this ensures an overall performance that best matches the fully laden vehicle.

The ECO-switch works with the truck's gearbox to permit only fully automatic mode, ensuring that all gear changes are tuned to maximise fuel economy.

Iveco also argues that tyre choice is critical to the Ecostralis fuel efficiency, with specially developed 315/70 R 22.5 Saver Green radials from Michelin specified. These and the Ecostralis truck's 2.64:1 rear axle ratio combine to deliver a drive optimised for economy and driveability.

"Fuel has historically been around 30% of a truck's costs, so we decided it was time to look at what we could do to improve fuel consumption," comments Martin Flach, product director at Iveco UK.

"We believe Ecostralis is an integrated solution that also concentrates on improving driving styles and makes best use of telematics technologies. A driver training package will be available with every purchase," he adds.

Other technologies available as options include tyre pressure monitoring and lane departure warning systems, as well as adaptive cruise control.

Author
John Challen

Related Companies
Iveco

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