Novel battery-swap tech from Iveco

New e-Daily's modular cassette-style battery pack adds flexibility to fleet delivery van

- VICKY PARROTT

Development of battery-swapping technology has largely centred around the idea of a swift, roadside battery swap for a quicker alternative to conventional charging, such as that pioneered by Chinese electric car maker Nio in its home country.

But commercial vehicle manufacturer Iveco has launched a new electric van that showcases a different use for an easily swapped, cassette-style battery. The Iveco e-Daily comes with the option of three battery sizes-37, 74 and 111kWh, for WLTP ranges of between 74 and 217 miles - and it's innovative for allowing users to retrospectively remove or add elements to the modular battery pack.

This can be hugely useful in various contexts, its creators say, but is most obviously of benefit in a commercial setting. If a van is being used as a last-mile delivery vehicle and doesn't need a long range, the smaller battery would suffice, to keep costs and the environmental impact down as well as increase the maximum payload by removing battery weight of (in the Iveco's case) 270kg per 37kWh li-ion pack.