IVECO’s new S-WAY is the first vehicle in the IVECO WAY heavy range which focuses on the driver, on sustainability and on an advanced level of connectivity-enabling new customised services, as Export & Freight’s Phil Eaglestone discovered during a recent trip to a global event held in Madrid, Spain.
At the event, which was attended by representatives from IVECO’s dealer network, its sales people, customers and members of the international press, Hubertus Mühlhäuser, Chief Executive Officer of CNH Industrial, spoke about this new flagship Heavy Duty truck as not only an achievement for the IVECO brand, but also an important milestone for CNH Industrial as a whole.
The launch was presided over by Gerrit Marx, President Commercial and Specialty Vehicles, with other speakers representing the brand’s global leader partners Amazon, Shell and Microsoft, but back to the star of the show which, we heard, marks “a strong shift towards providing customers with an integrated transport solution, economically and environmentally sustainable, in which the services around the product become more important than the product itself.”
Added Gerrit Marx: “We want to become the easiest-to-work-and-innovate-with Truck OEM for our suppliers and customers, while tailoring our vehicles around a driver´s life, which today is more than just the route he travels. Sustainability also entails our responsibility to make this job, which is crucial for our society, a more attractive and enjoyable one… which goes beyond just adding leather and wood applications.”
The IVECO S-WAY carries over all the advances introduced in the previous generations and adds a new cab entirely redesigned around the driver’s and the owner’s needs.
Giuliano Giovannini, Head of Medium & Heavy Trucks Product Management IVECO, stated: “When designing the new cab for the IVECO S-WAY, we left no stone unturned to fulfil all the driver’s needs. Our overarching aim was to meet their full satisfaction in terms of driving comfort and quality of life on board with excellent ergonomics and an appealing and welcoming environment for them to drive, work and rest – their home away from home.”
Innovative & Efficient
The ergonomic layout of the controls ensures all the key functions are within easy reach of the driver, making it easy for them to operate the vehicle comfortably and efficiently. The multi-functional steering wheel, with 22 switches, puts all the necessary functions, including the Assisted Driving Systems, at the driver’s fingertips. This set-up eliminates distractions for the driver, who is able to operate without ever needing to move their hands from the steering wheel, increasing their safety and comfort.
The dashboard and central stack have been redesigned to improve operating comfort and efficiency with a new layout and greatly increased functionalities. The 7-inch capacitive touchscreen provides access to the new state-of-the-art infotainment system which enables the driver to bring their digital life on board with phone mirroring using Apple Car Play. It also offers Bluetooth for hands-free and audio streaming, DAB radio, voice recognition and a truck navigation system, as well as a host of hardware and software enhancements, including cybersecurity features. The driver can also access the Assistance Non-Stop and Remote Assistance Services, as well as the Driving Style Evaluation system.
The many push switches on the central stack increase the number of possible combinations, leaving extra switches free for controlling functions of the vehicle’s body or trailer.
The new cab concept creates a spacious living environment with plenty of room to move around easily. The redesigned roof, lower tunnel and shaped upper shelf provide a comfortable standing height of 2.15 metres in the centre of the cabin, while the upper longitudinal usable space is 35 cm wider than in the previous model, providing easier access to the upper bed and compartments.
The central stack is rich in useful features for the comfort of driver and passenger: a handy shelf with bottle and cup holders, USB and 12V sockets, and a new drawer where they can store documents up to the size of an A4 folder – all lit with a console background light for night-time use. The folding table on the dashboard in front of the passenger seat can be used for eating a meal comfortably or as a convenient desk for working.
Capacious compartments are conveniently placed throughout the cab to provide all the storage the driver will need, with everything always within easy reach. The new open glove compartment on the side door also includes a 1.5-litre bottle holder. The redesigned upper shelf offers a 250-litre storage capacity. This is further complemented by the cavernous outer boxes, which can be specified both on the driver and passenger side for a massive capacity of up to 375 litres.
Meals and refreshments are also taken care of with a choice of fridges and cool boxes to meet a variety of requirements. The lid on top of the fridge makes it easy for the driver to reach for a cool drink safely without opening the fridge door completely.
The new cab has been designed to maximise the driver’s comfort when resting or sleeping overnight. The symmetrical layout of the night area with T-shaped lower bunk, pocket compartments, USB ports at both ends of the bunk, mean that the driver can choose which way to face when lying down. The bed module, positioned at the centre of the rear wall, puts within easy reach all the controls they may need – from heating and lighting to the radio and door lock.
Connectivity
A Connectivity box inside the IVECO S-WAY is linked to the “Microsoft Azure” cloud-based infrastructure that enables a new range of services. It puts the vehicle in direct communication with IVECO’s Control Room, providing real-time data. IVECO specialists then monitor the vehicle round-the-clock to maximise the vehicle’s uptime and productivity through a proactive approach using alerts triggered by diagnostics trouble codes, the Remote Assistance Service tool for remote diagnostics, teleservices and over-the-air software updates, with the aim of minimising visits to the dealer’s workshop.
They also take preventative actions triggered by fault code alerts and state-of-health monitoring of battery, brake pads, fuel filters and other consumables, so that customers are able to plan the necessary service stops more efficiently.
The connectivity of the IVECO S-WAY also offers multiple features to help fleet managers optimise their efficiency and reduce their TCO. They can be easily accessed on the MYIVECO portal and app, enabling customers to monitor their vehicle from their desktop computer or on the move from their mobile device. They can analyse its fuel consumption and the driver’s driving style in real time in order to identify ways to optimise the fleet’s performance.
