Iveco is guaranteeing a four per cent improvement in fuel economy with its Ecostralis tractor unit for three years or 400,000 km.
The manufacturer said trials by TÜV SÜD, the German testing organisation, showed a 7.32 per cent improvement in fuel consumption between the EcoStralis and comparable models.
The guarantee covers the fuel saving elements which are unique to the Ecostralis – the new 460 hp engine, the eco-setting gearbox function and the revised rear axle ratio, which collectively account for around four per cent.
The remaining 3.3 per cent fuel saving is attributed to the vehicle’s speed limit being reduced from 90 to 85 km/h and the use of Michelin’s X Energy Savergreen low rolling resistance tyres.
Henk van Leuven, managing director of Iveco UK, said: “We’re so confident in the performance of Ecostralis we’re backing it with an industry-first four per cent fuel guarantee.”
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The four per cent fuel guarantee will be measured against the combined average performance of the customer’s current heavy truck fleet. The guarantee will only be available to fleets where heavy trucks spend at least 55 per cent of their working day on motorways and dual carriageways. Fleets must also be using electronic fuel consumption measuring devices, or use a fuel card service which provides precise data on fuel usage.
Iveco says the guarantee stands against all makes of heavy truck sold in the UK and it expects at least 30 per cent of operators to meet its pre-qualification criteria. Of those, it reckons 90 per cent are likely to be approved.
“Our simulations show that in a typical haulage application the four per cent fuel guarantee will more than recoup the additional £3,000 investment required to purchase the Ecostralis over a regular Stralis model,” said van Leuven.
Iveco’s 4 per cent fuel guarantee is not transferable with the sale of an Ecostralis to another party, and operators must not alter the vehicle’s specification. All vehicles sold under the fuel guarantee must be supplied on a fixed cost Iveco Elements repair & maintenance agreement which ensures all maintenance is carried out by Iveco-trained technicians using genuine replacement parts.
