LDV is diving headfirst into the electric vehicle space, launching not just one but a total of three electric vehicles this November.
The trio comprises the eT60 ute, Australia’s first electric ute, plus the eDeliver 9 cargo van, and the MIFA 9 people mover.
The eT60 is based on the current diesel-powered T60 ute and the eDeliver 9 on LDV’s largest van, but the MIFA 9 is an entirely new product for the Australian market.
The company says full pricing and specifications for the electric trio will be revealed during their rollouts in November.
eT60
The electric ute will be available initially in 4×2 dual-cab guise, with an 88.5kWh lithium-ion battery.
Claimed range on the stricter WLTP test cycle is 330km, while the eT60 can be charged from 20 to 80 per cent on a DC fast charger in approximately 45 minutes.
While LDV hasn’t released performance details for the eT60, its electric utes in other markets produce between 130kW and 150kW of power from their rear-mounted electric motors.
While there’s a growing range of electric utes available in markets like China and the US, Australia has thus far missed out on these and, notably, no automaker has announced plans to introduce an electric ute here.
MIFA 9
The seven-seat MIFA 9 is based on the petrol-powered G90 people mover, both of which were only launched in China this year.
LDV says an eight-seat model will follow in early 2023.
It’s powered by a 90kWh lithium-ion battery, with a claimed WLTP range of up to 440km depending on the variant.
The company says it’ll take 36 minutes to charge from 20 to 80 per cent on a DC fast charger.
It also says it expects to secure a five-star Euro NCAP rating, and will come standard with a suite of active safety and driver assist features including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, emergency lane-keep assist, and lane-departure warning.
It’s not the only electric people mover lobbing this year, with the Mercedes-Benz EQV also due before year’s end.
eDeliver 9
Finally, there’s the eDeliver 9, which will be available in long-wheelbase mid- and high-roof variants plus a cab-chassis.
The vans swap out the standard van’s diesel engine for an electric motor and an 88.5kWh lithium-ion battery, which can be charged from 20 to 80 per cent on a DC fast charger in 45 minutes at a maximum rate of 80kW.
LDV claims a WLTP range of 280km for the mid-roof van model.
The Deliver 9 is currently Australia’s best-selling large van, and the electric version will narrowly beat the Ford E-Transit to market. The Blue Oval brand’s EV ute is due in January 2023.
LDV says its rollout of EVs is the most fundamental step-change in its product strategy since its local launch in 2014, and says it’s now “setting the agenda for commercial electric vehicles in Australia”.
“The global auto market is undergoing its most significant revolution in decades,” said Dinesh Chinnappa, General Manager of LDV Australia.
“Every major OEM is committed to developing electric vehicles, but what is less spoken about is the growing influence of China’s EV market on the rest of the world – and we in Australia are now benefiting from that influence with the arrival of eT60, eDeliver 9 and Mifa 9.”
He noted EVs account for 26 per cent of all car sales in China, and Chinese EVs account for 57 per cent of global EV sales.
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