LDV’s e-commercial range
It’s happened. The first full fledged fleet of electric delivery vehicles has arrived in New Zealand courtesy of one-time British brand – now Chinese – LDV, which is a division of SAIC Motor.
With 25 percent market share – give or take – in China, SAIC Motor has the largest production volume of all Chinese automakers and sells something on the order of 5.6 million vehicles in its home market, making it the number 1 ranked Chinese automaker.
SAIC has made significant investments in a range of technology providers and into EV tech, with a US$45.78 billion commitment to high tech innovation – which includes smart EV tech – over the next five years.
This commitment coincides with the Chinese Government’s focus on new energy vehicles (NEVs – yes, yet another acronym to add to the electric alphabet soup of EVs, BEVs, PHEVs and FCEVs) which has seen a massive surge since 2014 to put China as the global EV sales leader, far outstripping the US and just a hair under double that of Europe.
According to LDV New Zealand, China is clearly the world’s biggest plug-in electric passenger market and in 2021, SAIC sold 697,000 vehicles to overseas markets, New Zealand among them.
In 2021, LDV NZ launched the eDeliver 3, selling over 100 units of the compact purpose-built light alloy and composite construction van.
The 4.8 cubic metre eDeliver 3 comes with the choice of a 35kW/h or 52.5kW/h battery with a 280km and 400km range respectively. Power and torque figures are 40 or 90kW and 125 or 255Nm depending on the battery choice.
Both short wheelbase vans have a tow rating of 500kg and a payload maxing out at 905kg. As part of the 2022 release, a cab chassis with the larger battery is now available.
LDV is however, probably better known to many for the Deliver 9 van and again, in 2021, a single evaluation model of the eDeliver9 landed here. A year later on five more eDeliver9 models bolster the eight EV van range from LDV.
The eDeliver9 is available with two wheelbase options, short wheelbase for each of its Big models which come with either a 51.5kWh (186km range) or a 72kWh battery (236km range) and long wheelbase for the Bigger models which have both battery options but add an 88.5kWh battery for 296km range. A cab chassis model is also available with a 65kWh battery giving a 180km range.
At the Taupo launch, LDV lifted the lid on a teaser – New Zealand’s first electric ute, albeit a left- hand drive one – here for evaluation, with the intention of having the road legal ones in country by the end of the year.
The EV T60 delivers 130kW, 310Nm torque and has a range of around 325km Pricing has not been determined yet, but LDV is taking $1000 deposits.
