Electric vans have been thin on the ground, so the EV80 significantly expands the options reports Damien O’Carroll.
One of the things stopping the wider adoption of EV’s in New Zealand has been the lack of breadth of models available. In the market to cover a variety of uses, in commercial vehicles to date there has only been one choice, Renault’s Kangoo van, which is a smaller city delivery-style vehicle. LDV’s EV80 doubles the van contingent and gives an option at the larger end of the van spectrum which will help more fleet go EV.
At the same time that it launches its first foray into the ute segment in New Zealand, LDV is also releasing an all-electric version of its popular V80 van into the local market.
Known as the EV80, the all-electric van will be available in panel van, cab chassis and mini bus versions, all powered by a 100kW/320Nm permanent magnet synchronous motor hooked up to a 56kWh lithium iron phosphate battery system that the factory claims is good for a 192km range on a full charge with a half capacity load – the EV80’s maximum capacity is 1,000kg.
Local distributor Great Lake Motor Distributors claim to have seen real world ranges of between 150km and 180km, with a payload, around Auckland. Charging time is claimed to be around two hours for a full charge on a fast charge system.
The van variants are all medium roof, long-wheelbase versions with an overall length of 5,700mm, width of 1,998mm and height of 2,345mm.
In the rear, the EV80 has a cargo area length of 3,300mm, width of 1,800mm and height of 1,750mm, with an overall cargo volume of 10.4 cubic metres.
The cab chassis variant is a low roof, long-wheelbase model, with similar dimensions, apart from its lower 2,136mm height. All versions have a wheelbase of 3,850mm.
Standard equipment includes halogen headlights, daytime running lights, two airbags, manual air conditioning and an electric park brake across all variants, while the vans also get a left-side sliding door, backing sensors and electrically-adjustable side mirrors.
The EV80’s pricing starts from $75,000 incl. GST for the cab chassis variant and rises to $80,000 incl. GST for the van. The minibus version tops the range at $99,500 incl. GST. This represents a substantial premium to the equivalent petrol models (Petrol van is $43,796 for auto version) so it is likely companies will choose them on an ecological footprint and sustainability basis rather than a straight cost benefit in terms of fuel.
