Metallica’s European Tour Rocks Ahead With Electric, Hydrogen Trucks

Metallica is one of the greatest rock groups in history. Can you even say that name without throwing up your hands in a heavy metal salute? I say no. Band members James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, and Robert Trujillo are going to continue rocking the stage this summer in Europe with new custom trucks running on battery-electric and hydrogen power.

Italian truck manufacturer Iveco is building the vehicles that have the honor of hauling Metallica's gear starting in Munich, Germany and traveling across the continent for 14 shows. Along the way, the band will hit Helsinki, Copenhagen, Warsaw and Madrid with its convoy of electric guitars, drum kits, microphones, and amps.

For this tour, Iveco built electric and hydrogen-powered S-eWay and S-Way Metallica Special Edition heavy-duty trucks. Each has black matte bodywork and electric yellow designs to match the brand’s 72 Seasons album. They look appropriately menacing in pictures and will be unmistakable on the road.

As reported by Jalopnik, the latest hydrogen-powered fuel-cell EVs from Iveco can go up to 800 kilometers, or nearly 500 miles, before requiring a fill-up. The S-eWay trucks have a range of up to 500 kilometers (311 miles) and the S-Way LNG range is an estimated 1,600 kilometers (994 miles). Metallica will also reportedly use all-electric minibus shuttles made by Iveco at the concert sites.