Tesco was pioneering when it launched its home delivery business 20 years ago, and its vehicles have now become a mainstay of the British road network, working all hours to deliver groceries and goods to homes and businesses up and down the country.
IVECO has been supplying vans to the operation for over a decade, with some 900 Daily vehicles currently residing on the fleet. In total, since 2010, Tesco has operated 5,144 Daily chassis cabs fitted with climate-controlled bodies.
45 IVECO Daily entered service via Guest Truck & Van in February, with Tesco bolstering that with a further 600 to arrive through 2021.
Tesco’s new Daily 35S14 HI-MATIC are painted in white, featuring the brand’s ubiquitous blue livery and attractive fresh produce imagery. All are powered by the heavy-duty homologated, Euro VI-D, 2.3-litre F1A turbo diesel producing 136-horsepower and a healthy 350Nm of torque. The proven 8-speed HI-MATIC automatic gearbox keeps the engine running at optimum revs, swapping cogs in under 200 milliseconds, affording the Tesco drivers a high level of safety and comfort on busy urban delivery routes while minimising clutch and transmission wear.
A key consideration in the selection of Daily was its extremely competitive Total Cost of Ownership proposition. For busy, time-critical missions, features such as the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) assist with consistently strong fuel economy by ensuring tyres are always kept to the correct pressures, subsequently reducing wear and therefore replacement. HI-MATIC adds up to 10% lower repair and maintenance costs to the offering, with the total package backed up by IVECOs responsive Assistance Non-Stop 24/7 roadside support service.
Further enhancing fitted options include the Digital Pack including Reverse Warning Alarm, 7” HI-CONNECT touch-screen infotainment system with DAB, Bluetooth, and smart-phone mirroring allowing navigation services as well as IVECO’s connectivity box. This allows for a connection to IVECOs control centre for monitoring of vehicle performance, promoting proactive maintenance with access to over-the-air updates to minimise vehicle downtime.
Tesco operates its vehicles for up to five years dependent on their mileage, and it expects the new Daily units will clock up around 30,000 miles each year. With the vehicles’ busy schedules, dependability is key, so IVECO Daily is supplied with a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty.
Daily is famed for its tight turning circle and manoeuvrability, featuring electric power steering with CITY mode as standard. A benefit in town and suburban cul-de-sacs, it reduces steering effort by as much as 70%. Its heavy-duty, ladder-frame construction also helps ensure that it is capable of withstanding the tough urban multi-stop, stop/start home delivery mission.
Before entering service, Lancashire-based Solomon Commercials will be fitting the new vehicles with their low-height, ‘Slipstream’ body for 3.5t GVW vehicles, including fridge units to keep groceries at the required temperature. These aerodynamic bodies are light in weight to ensure maximum payload capacity for Tesco goods as boosting load capacity reduces the need for returns to base.
“Supermarkets like Tesco have been especially important over the past pandemic-gripped year, adapting to meet incredible demands and IVECO are ideally placed to be able to support and continue this mission,” added Mike Cutts, IVECO UK’s Light Business-line Director.
The IVECO Daily has been in production for over 40 years, carrying a reputation for robustness and dependability. The current iteration, introduced in 2019 offers the latest innovations in driver comfort, advanced safety and low Total Cost of Ownership. Unique in the market, the IVECO Daily stretches from the usual 3.5-tonne Gross Vehicle Weight capacity, all the way to 7.2-tonnes. It’s a complete transport solution, custom-made for any business and ready for any mission.
