LDV announces electric vehicle trio: eT60, MIFA 9 and eDeliver 9 set for Australian launch

The LDV eT60 is Australia’s first electric ute. Images: LDV Australia

LDV has pulled the cover off three new all-electric models, and all are now on sale in Australia. The MIFA 9 is a futuristic people mover, capable of carrying 7 adults and travelling over 400km. The press release states that the MIFA 9 “[is] making people movers cool again”, and we wouldn’t disagree. The eT60 is being lauded as Australia’s first electric ute, and should do well with fleets and businesses looking to go electric. The eDeliver 9 is a delivery van with close to 12.5 cubic metres of cargo capacity in top-spec, and offers a large 88.55kWh battery with DC rapid charging.

The LDV MIFA 9 features a 400km+ range.

LDV MIFA 9 electric people mover

People movers are cool - even prestigeous - amongst wealthy buyers in Asia. The Japanese revere the Toyota Alphard; the Voyah Dreamer is the world’s fastest people mover (not that it has much competition).

LDV is hoping Australian buyers looking for space, luxury and all the benefits of an electric drivetrain will consider the MIFA 9; priced from $106,000, it’s creeping towards the pricing of large SUVs from Volvo, Lexus and BMW, and far beyond a Hyundai Palisade, or the minivan stalwart, the Kia Carnival.

Three trim levels are available: Mode, Executive and Luxe. Battery, drivetrain and motors are all identical, however range suffers on the mid and high-spec models due to larger wheel sizes.

The 90kWh battery should provide around 400km (248mi) of real world range for this beast, and the company claims DC fast charging will take 36 minutes to charge from 30%-80%. LDV offers a 5 year, 200,000km warranty, and an 8 year, 200,000km battery warranty. Service intervals are 2 years/30,000kms.

The LDV eT60 will be a hit with fleets and businesses looking to meet strict emissions targets.

LDV eT60 electric utility vehicle

The eT60 is expensive. More than double a regular LDV T60 Max 4x4 ute in fact, which can be picked up for around $45,000 driveaway in Australia. But focusing on price is missing the point; a spokesperson for LDV told EV Brief that interest is strong, and demand has already seen the initial allocation of eT60s sold out.

We anticipate strong interest from businesses and especially fleets, who will be paying fleet prices, and in the cases of governments, may not even pay stamp duty. They’ve already done the sums, and the eT60 must make business sense if they’re happy to lock in orders for these vehicles. They may also have commitments to emissions targets that will require quick transition to a zero emissions fleet.

Starting at $92,990, the eT60 offers a marginally smaller battery pack than the MIFA 9, at 88.55 kWh. It can charge to 80% via DC fast charging in around 45min, and features a rear wheel drive, single motor drivetrain with 130kW and 310Nm. We’re disappointed that the four-wheel drive variant hasn’t made it to Australia - at least not yet - as this capability is often a priority for those purchasing utility vehicles.

LDV’s eDeliver 9 features identical cargo capacity to its ICE siblings.

LDV eDeliver 9 electric logistics van

The LDV Deliver series is popular in Australia, and the addition of an electric model with over 250km of range should be a winner with fleet operators and logistics businesses. The same 88.55kWh lithium-ion battery is present, delivering a WLTP range of 280km (mid roof variant) and 275km (high roof variant). A cab chassis version is also available, with a 65kWh lithium ion battery and a WLTP range of 150km.

The cargo area is massive, with 10.97m3 for the LWB Mid Roof variant, and 12.33m3 for the LWB High Roof variant. This is identical to the combustion engine-powered models. Payload is 1,410kg for the Mid Roof and 1,350kg for the High Roof, while braked towing capacity is limited to 1,500kg.

Pricing starts from $99,990 for the cab chassis, and $116,537 for the mid-roof eDeliver 9.

More info coming soon; we hope to organise a drive of this electric trio when possible.

Volta Trucks testing prototype electric truck, announces Trucks as a Service business

It may not be much to look at, but this is a real-world testing prototype of Volta’s Zero commercial vehicle. Named Volta Minus One by the company’s development engineers, this test truck is the forerunner to the production specification Volta Zero 16-tonne truck.

The vehicle’s chassis frame, Proterra-supplied high-voltage battery, axles, motor and transmission are all close to final specification, and this unconventional-looking vehicle will allow Volta to test electro-mechanical components as well as thermal properties of the truck. The flatbed design allows the development team to easily add varying amounts of weight to evaluate carrying capacity.

Volta will be testing the Zero in conjunction with Horiba Mira, a specialised vehicle development and engineering company in the UK. Volta plans to continue testing the Zero across a range of locations and climates from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean, to ensure reliability, durability, and performance meet customer expectations prior to the pilot fleet rollout sometime in 2022.

Volta also published a video highlighting their proposed Truck as a Service (TaaS) business; the decarbonisation of transport fleets will likely require a higher level of initial investment from companies than comparable internal combustion engine (ICE) trucks, and Volta aims to capture the emerging electric commercial vehicle market by packaging all upfront vehicle and ongoing running costs into a single fee. The company projects lower total cost of ownership over ICE trucks for fleet managers, and aims to maximise uptime and operational efficiency of fleet vehicles by providing everything from training and EV charging infrastructure, to vehicle repayments, and maintenance.

Nexport to bring self-branded last mile electric van to Australia in October 2021

Nexport’s DLX electric van. Via Luke Todd on Linkedin

Australia's importer for BYD vehicles and electric buses Nexport has revealed that it plans to bring an all-electric commercial van to Australia, to be named the Nexport DLX. In a statement via Linkedin, Nexport managing director Luke Todd said that “Mass production in NSW will commence in early 2022. We will soon announce price and specifications....Nexport is creating jobs for Australians wishing to join the clean-tech manufacturing renaissance.”

Nexport DLX revealed on Linkedin

Earlier in the week, Todd also posted on Linkedin, stating “ARRIVED. Introducing the DLX electric logistics truck, the newest addition to the Nexport suite of zero-emission products. Customer test drives to commence in Australia by October 2021. Customer deliveries scheduled for Q1, 2022. No overhyped market build up needed. The DLX just arriEVd and will deliEVr.”

The use of “Arrived” references UK-based EV commercial vehicle startup Arrival, which currently has a similar electric van in development, with production to commence in the third quarter of 2022. Arrival has no plans to bring its vehicles to markets outside North America and Europe at this stage.

Nexport’s vehicles will eventually be manufactured in Australia

This is a very short but welcome timeline from Nexport; Australia’s transport emissions have grown steadily over the last few decades, and account for one-third of our greenhouse gas emissions according to the Climate Council.

Nexport already manufactures buses in Australia, utilising BYD powertrains and bus bodies from Gemilang and Volgren, so it’s possible that they are leveraging existing manufacturing capacity to bring the DLX to market so quickly. Another scenario could be that the company plans to “flat pack” vehicle bodies and drivetrain components, ready for final assembly on Australian shores.

Nexport has plans to eventually establish a passenger and commercial vehicle manufacturing facility in Australia, on a 51 hectare site 90 minutes south-west of Sydney. We have contacted Nexport for more information and will update this post accordingly.

Source: LinkedIn