LDV eT60 electric ute confirmed for Aussie launch

An emerging automotive brand has beaten household names in the race to bring battery-powered pick-ups into Australian showrooms.

Environmentally conscious Aussie tradies will have a green option when Australia’s first electric ute goes on sale in November.

The LDV eT60 shapes up as a zero-emissions rival to popular utes such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.

While a handful of small companies have converted diesel utes to run on batteries, the LDV eT60 is the first electric ute sold new in Aussie showrooms.

LDV already sells the eT60 electric ute in New Zealand.

Built by China’s LDV and imported locally by ATECO, a company that also handles European brands Renault and Maserati, the ute is the first of its kind in Australia.

Performance figures of 150kW and 310Nm match the HiLux’s power output but fall short of the Toyota’s 500Nm of torque.

The eco-ute asks customers to make several other compromises.

The LDV eT60 electric ute will joined by electric vans.

It misses out on four-wheel-drive traction, so off-road excursions are unlikely to be particularly adventurous.

It can carry up to 750 kilos in the tray and 1500 kilos in a trailer – much less than the 3.5 tonne towing standard for diesel-powered dual-cabs.

An 88.55kWh battery promises just 325 kilometres of range when unladen, a figure that halves when towing a heavy load.

The electric ute is based on LDV’s diesel-powered T60.

And pit stops take longer than a conventionally powered ute, as the LDV needs 45 minutes to top up from 5 to 80 per cent capacity at public rapid charging sites. Home charging is an overnight proposition.

LDV has not revealed an Australian price for the eT60.

But it is already on sale in New Zealand, where the new ute costs $NZ79,990 drive-away ($A70,270).

LDV’s utes are loaded with tech, including modern safety features.

That’s a fair chunk more than fully-loaded diesel LDV utes sold for $NZ50,588 in New Zealand, or $43,674 drive-away in Australia.

LDV’s announcement comes a little more than a month after deputy Liberal leader

Sussan Ley incorrectly told Sky News “no one in the world is making an electric ute, by the way, and even if they were it would be unaffordable”.

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley missed the mark in an interview with Sky News.

Labor minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen pointed out her error on twitter by posing with an electric Ford F-150 Lightning ute, saying it “goes like you wouldn’t believe” and is not currently available in Australia “due to poor policies”.

The electric Ford ute, as well as Rivian’s R1T, are not made in right-hand-drive. Both cars are also built in relatively small numbers for now, with demand exceeding supply.

Ford’s electric F-150 Lightning is in hot demand in the US.

The Ford is much more powerful than the LDV, with 420kW/1050Nm and four-wheel-drive. The Lightning has almost 500 kilometres of range and can supply electricity to power tools and other accessories.

But the LDV is significantly cheaper - top end Lightning variants cost more than $A120,000 in the US, a figure likely to grow if offered in Australia.

LDV’s new ute joins a growing fleet of electric vehicles imported from China.

The MG ZS EV is Australia’s cheapest electric car.

Dinesh Chinnappa, general manager of LDV Australia, said more than half of the world’s electric cars are made in China.

“In the first half of 2022, 2.4 million EVs were delivered to customers in China, more than double the total annual new car market in Australia,” he said.

“China is moving ahead in electrifying its transport industry and it’s bringing the rest of the world – including Australia – with it.”

Most examples of Australia’s best-selling electric car, the Tesla Model 3, are built in China, as are luxurious sedans sold by Volvo’s Polestar.

Australia’s cheapest electric cars, the $45,000 MG ZS EV and BYD Atto 3 compact SUVs, are also sourced from China, where government regulations push manufacturers and customers toward emissions-free motoring.

Originally published as LDV eT60 electric ute confirmed for Aussie launch