LDV Edeliver 7 vs Mercedes-Benz Evito

What's the difference?

Sole traders, SMEs, transport companies and corporate fleets are potential customers LDV is aiming at with its new eDeliver7 electric van range, which competes in Australia’s mid-sized (2.5-3.5-tonne GVM) commercial van segment.

The Chinese manufacturer claims the eDeliver7’s combination of quiet operation, reduced maintenance costs, no battery impact on cargo space and, critically, more competitive pricing is ideal for businesses looking to build ‘sustainable’ fleets.

As the number of battery electric van offerings continues to grow, we recently spent a week in one of the new eDeliver7 variants to see if it can offer a viable alternative to diesel powertrains that traditionally dominate this competitive market segment.

Numerous commercial van manufacturers are adding battery-electric vehicle (BEV) variants to their model line-ups.

Anecdotal evidence suggests these vehicles are best suited to city and suburban fleet duties, in which they cover short-loop daily driving distances that are comfortably within a manufacturer’s claimed battery range and return to depots each day to be recharged.

However, given that it’s still relatively early days for electric vans, potential buyers are faced with numerous potential deal-breakers compared to conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) equivalents.

These include higher purchase prices, limited driving ranges, longer 'refuelling' times, heavier kerb weights (due to their large batteries) and resulting smaller payload ratings. And they are usually not rated to tow.

However, they can also offer lower operating costs. And they produce zero tailpipe emissions, which according to Mercedes-Benz "creates a powerful marketing tool (for buyers) to demonstrate their commitment to operating sustainably".

We recently trialled M-B’s Vito-based contender in this pioneering LCV market segment, to see how it measures up in Australia’s highly competitive medium-sized (2.5-3.5-tonne GVM) van market.