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11 Jun 2020

E-Ducato and Mercitalia FAST, “green” high-speed freighting.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Mercitalia Logistics (part of the FS Italiane Group, the Italian State Railways) have signed a cooperation agreement, in advance of mass production, to use a prototype of the new E-Ducato – the full electric version of the Fiat Professional vehicle – for road first and last mile transportation in the FAST high-speed freight service from Mercitalia Logistics.

E-Ducato and Mercitalia FAST, “green” high-speed freighting.

 

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Mercitalia Logistics (part of the FS Italiane Group, the Italian State Railways) have signed a cooperation agreement, in advance of mass production, to use a prototype of the new E-Ducato – the full electric version of the Fiat Professional vehicle – for road first and last mile transportation in the FAST high-speed freight service from Mercitalia Logistics. By “first and last mile”, we mean the freighting of goods from factory to delivery to the rail freight carrier, and from rail reception hubs to the final destination, i.e. small/medium-scale distribution or directly to the client.
With the E-Ducato, Mercitalia will be able to transport goods door-to-door, rapidly, securely, reliably, and most of all with respect for the environment, thus reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
This partnership will result in the development of a goods mobility project, aimed at canceling out harmful emissions into the environment. The initial phase of the project will use Fiat Professional’s innovative E-Ducato – fitted with a 47 kWh battery – for road first and last mile from the Maddaloni-Marcianise hub (near the southern Italian city of Caserta), to complement the Mercitalia FAST service.
The daily journeys undertaken by the E-Ducato – corresponding to daily runs of around 110 kilometers – will also enable Mercitalia to serve the Naples metropolitan area in an environmentally friendly manner.
Once the pilot phase is complete, Mercitalia Logistics will consider the E-Ducato in an expansion of the fleet of vehicles they use for first and last mile, resulting in an increasingly environment-friendly and sustainable approach to global mobility.
Since late 2018, Mercitalia FAST – the only high-speed freight rail service in the world, with ISO 114064-1 certification – has provided a Mondays to Fridays rail link in both directions between the Mercitalia terminal in Maddaloni-Marcianise and the Interporto Bologna logistics hub, in just 3 hours and 30 minutes. This service will relieve the main arterial highway in Italy (Autostrada A1) by approximately 9,000 heavy trucks per year.
Created 39 years ago and constantly revitalized by its commercial successes and technological breakthroughs, the Ducato will soon be launched in an electric version, to guarantee continuity during the transition from combustion engines to electric motors, with similar performance yet at a comparable cost, over a five-year period of usage.
In addition to a full line-up of versions, the E-Ducato also offers a modular choice of battery size, with ranges from 200 to 360 kilometers, in the typical cycle of a city-based delivery “mission” in normal environmental conditions, depending on battery size.
It also comes with high-potential performance, with a focus on the Ducato's strength: best-in-class load volume from 10 to 17 m3, with a similarly best-in-class payload of up to 1,950 kg. The new E-Ducato takes no prisoners: 100% Ducato, 100% Electric. 
The partnership between FCA and Mercitalia Logistics demonstrates a significant commitment made by two major companies in the freight transport sector, aimed at identifying innovative solutions to better meet clients’ requirements, without compromising the environmental and economic sustainability of the services on offer as part of a “tailor-made” commercial proposal.

 

Turin, June 11, 2020

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