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Early shipments of Australia’s first electric ute are pre-sold as LDV is forced to ration supplies of its electric commercial vehicles.
Demand for LDV’s landmark electric eT60 ute is already out-stripping supply despite its $92,990 starting price.
First shipments of the LDV eT60 are already allocated to owners and it’s a similar story for the eDeliver 9 commercials – van and cab-chassis – with the MIFA 9 people mover further behind.
“We’ve got more orders than we have cars,” the general manager of LDV Australia, Dinesh Chippappa, told Drive.
He admitted the number of cars involved was relatively low, but reported an immediate response once details of the eT60 became public.
“We’re having to ration people. We’re sprinkling them. We want people to get a taste,” Mr Chinnappa said.
“Are we rolling around in hundreds of orders? No. But are we happy with where we’re at? Yes.”
He reported interest in the eT60 from a variety of businesses, from mining to green energy companies, as well as various levels of government.
“It’s the renewable energy sector and also the energy generation sector. They want to get onboard with electrification – see what it is and how it works.”
“We’re getting interest from local councils. There is also a big mining company, a major player, who wants to get one to see what it can do.
“They want the ute. The mining sector is really interested.”
In addition to the eT60 ute, Mr Chinnappa told Drive there is also growing interest in the eDeliver 9 – available as a delivery van and a cab-chassis workhorse, priced from $99,990 before on-road costs – with companies looking for ‘last kilometre’ deliveries in urban areas.
“It’s for retail companies looking to electrify their delivery vehicles. We’re also seeing some interest as a refrigerated delivery van.”
He said Australian companies were working to understand the capabilities of the electric workhorses, while LDV Australia is also talking to LDV in China about the potential for factory customisation to suit local needs.
“We’re waiting for decent import volumes before we can really go to work on that car,” he said.
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