This EV Set A Guinness World Record For Towing (And It Pulled More Than 150 Tons)

If you've got something that needs towing, the chances are you want to get your hands on a capable pickup truck to get the job done. It makes sense, with Ford's F-150 currently capable of pulling 13,500 pounds, and the most capable heavy-duty Ram truck on offer boasting a maximum towing capacity of 36,610 pounds.

In comparison, the F-150 Lightning, which we drove and reviewed earlier this year, is only rated to tow a maximum of 10,000 pounds. This may leave you thinking that gas- or diesel-powered models are best suited to towing, but British brand Iveco would be keen to correct you there. In an effort to demonstrate the strength of its electric van, Iveco towed 153.58 tons in 2023, setting the official Guinness World Record for towing with an electric van. The load in question consisted of a huge truck, with a digger atop its trailer, a construction truck full of rocks, and an airport fire truck.

This British van isn't the only electric vehicle that's tried its hand at pulling a gargantuan load in recent years either, as prior to this the Tesla Model X pulled off a similarly impressive feat. Regardless of the fact that a Tesla Model X is only rated to tow 5,000 pounds, in 2018 one example pulled a Boeing Dreamliner 787-9, which tips the scales at 130 tons. This feat gained it the title of 'heaviest weight towed by an electric car' according to Guinness World Records, and it's a record that still stands today.

Impressively, the van used by Iveco for the successful world record attempt was a totally standard eDaily 3.5 tonne model. The van in question isn't sold in the US, but sports a starting price of around £56,000 in the UK — or roughly $75,000. The eDaily sports a 140 KW (187 horsepower) rear-wheel drive drivetrain that kicks out 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, which proved enough to pull along 153.58 tonnes. 

In order to full the incredible weight tied up to the van by a specialist towbar, the Iveco was driven in 'hi-power' mode. The type of towbar required does depend on how much weight you're towing, so it should come as no surprise that Iveco had to fit something pretty specialize in order to achieve this feat safely. 

To drive the van, Iveco appropriately placed Britain's then strongest man, Adam Bishop, behind the wheel. After completing the feat, Bishop exclaimed "The van was incredible. The scale of its challenge and what it towed was unbelievable, but it rolled up its sleeves and got on with the job. Amazing!"