FPT Industrial, the Iveco Group brand dedicated to the design, production, and sale of powertrains and solutions for on- and off-road vehicles, as well as marine and power generation applications, is once again reaffirming its role as a key player in the long journey towards a more sustainable world. The Brand’s CURSOR 13 engines, installed in ASTRA HD9 series vehicles operated by the drivers of Geo Trasporti, were among the key participants in the complex operations of transporting the twenty-seven wind turbine blades destined for the new “Mondonuovo†wind farm in Mesagne (Brindisi), Italy, one of the most delicate phases of such a renewable energy project.
The construction of infrastructure like a wind farm involves operations with a very high level of complexity: transporting blades up to 81 meters long on a special twelve-axle trailer, with a total combined weight of over 200 tons, is certainly one of them. The maneuvers, slow and at times required to be millimeter-perfect, take place along routes that may include curves, slowdowns, and slopes to reach the installation site, often far from the main highways.
Egle Panzella, Brand Equity and Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at FPT Industrial, commented: “The sustainability supply chain also includes everyday feats like this one, involving companies from various sectors, specialized professionals, and high-performance equipment. The CURSOR 13 has once again proven to be the ideal engine for vehicles designed to overcome the most complex on-road challenges, such as those required for infrastructure projects in the wind energy sector, which, due to the weight and size of the blades, demand exceptional performanceâ€.
In this operation, the 570 hp CURSOR 13 engines from FPT Industrial, powering the specialized ASTRA HD9 86.57 vehicles designed for heavy-duty work in the oil and mineral, quarrying, construction, and oversized loads transport sectors, played a key role, combining perfectly with the HD9’s toughness and tailor-made features for this undertaking. A few months after the incredible performance on the scorching dunes of the Dakar 2025, these engines once again demonstrated maximum power, efficiency, reliability, and sustainability in the most challenging tasks. In addition to top-tier performance, transient response, and low fuel consumption, FPT Industrial’s patented HI-eSCR technology without EGR ensures a low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), thanks in part to the DPF with passive regeneration, and the longest oil change intervals in this category, up to 150,000 km. Furthermore, the DPF cleaning interval of up to 600,000 km, and reduced oil consumption provide significant advantages in terms of operational availability and cost reduction.
The strengths of the CURSOR 13 have been further enhanced in its natural evolution, the XCURSOR 13, FPT Industrial’s first multi-fuel single-base engine, launched as part of the IVECO Model Year 2024 product line-up. With new air handling for downspeeding, improved combustion with increased Common Rail and peak cylinder pressures, smart oil and water pump, and new conrod pins and crankpin materials that reduce friction, along with an advanced valvetrain, and lighter cylinder block and cylinder head, the XCURSOR 13 has taken the legacy of the CURSOR series, launched back in 1998, to an even higher level. It features CO2 emissions reductions of 7% and 10% lighter weight compared to the previous version, with a maximum power output of 600 hp and a peak torque of 2,850 Nm.
