Electric van claims world record after towing over 153 tonnes

The IVECO eDaily is known for its class-leading 3.5 tonne towing capacity and strong truck-based chassis, with the van’s robust engineering now cementing its place in the history books with an official Guinness World Record.

Towing an incredible 153.58 tonnes, this standard production electric vehicle is now recognised for punching above its weight. In fact, this achievement surpasses records set by all-wheel drive electric cars, an impressive feat delivered by the eDaily’s 140kW rear-wheel drive drivetrain with 400Nm of torque.

The heaviest weight towed by an electric car was 130 tonnes by a Tesla Model X here in Australia back in 2018 when it towed a Qantas Boeing Dreamliner 787-9.

On 20 June 2023, the record-breaking eDaily was hitched to an IVECO X-Way Strator truck with its trailer laden with a huge earth-mover weighing over 50 tonnes, with an additional seven tonnes of ballast being added for good measure. A fully-loaded X-Way 8x4 tipper truck was then attached to the Strator’s trailer before an all-terrain airport fire truck completed the 153-tonne road train.

Once it started moving, the eDaily made steady progress down the stipulated 100ft of runway and crossed the finish line in front of the Guinness World Record judges to claim its impressive accolade. The van’s ‘hi-power’ mode was used which provides bursts of additional power in demanding towing conditions for the all-electric van.

Britain’s current Strongest Man, Adam Bishop, drove the eDaily to break the world record. “The van was incredible,” he said. “The scale of its challenge and what it towed was unbelievable, but it rolled up its sleeves and got on with the job. Amazing!”

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