Is the IVECO eDaily the ultimate large electric LCV? Jonathan Crouch checks it out

Background

If you're a commercial vehicle user, the need for a switch from diesel power to an EV drivetrain for your vans is a complicated one. Ideally, you'd be able to specify an EV drivetrain for your company's needs, then perhaps vary it with bigger or smaller batteries as those needs change. Ideally, you may well want an electric van capable of towing really heavy loads. Or you may even want to buy or lease a van that isn't electric, then convert it into an EV halfway through its life. Currently, only one manufacturer can meet all these needs: IVECO. The brand's all-electric eDaily has been around for some time as an alternative to the usual diesel Daily large LCV, but with its most recent update (in 2024), it's taken a big step forward. Mind you, the premium asking price certainly reflects that. Justified, the company hopes, by the fact that no other electric van can be tailored in such a bespoke way to the needs of your business.

Driving Experience

Rather than telling you the kind of electric drivetrain your company's EV van will need, IVECO lets you decide. And allows you to evolve that drivetrain as your business needs change. All eDaily models are rear wheel drive with a chassis-mounted mid-rear electric motor powered by up to four battery packs delivering either 37kWh, 74kWh, 111kWh or 148kWh. You can chop and change these in your eDaily to suit the way the van will be used. For instance, if you buy this IVECO for local deliveries, you might need only the 37kWh version with its limited 68 mile range. But if your customer area expands, you could upgrade to the 74kWh two-battery model with its 124 mile range. Or maybe even the 111kWh version, which goes 186 miles between charges. All these figures assume a full payload. Adding or subtracting batteries takes no more than a couple of hours. Stick with the 37kWh single-battery model offered with the shortest and lightest chassis and power is provided by a 134hp motor with 300Nm of torque. The other variants get a 190hp motor which in 'Boost' mode offers 400Nm of torque. To drive, an eDaily will feel much like the diesel HiMatic version, which of course is entirely intentional. There's a reassuringly familiar gear lever and three driving modes - Eco, Normal and Power. Plus you can choose between three levels of brake regeneration, from coasting to an almost 'one-pedal' setting that will severely arrest progress when you come off-throttle. Avoid the single-battery version and you get a class-leading braked towing weight of up to 3.5 tonnes (exceptional for an EV van). Also impressive is the tight turning circle, which can be as small as 5.5m. Ride quality can be unsettled - unless you pay the extra for IVECO's AirPro suspension. With this, you cruise over tarmac imperfections and speed humps - and both steering and handling are improved too. A more surprising option is a hill holder clutch. And, unusually for a 2WD van, Hill descent control can be fitted. One final thing worth knowing: normally anyone who passed their driving test after 1st of January 1997 would have to pass a separate test if they wanted to drive a van heavier than 3.5t. But as a concession to its EV status, a 4.25t eDaily 425 can be driven on an ordinary car driver's licence (after five hours of special training).

Design and Build

As you might expect, the eDaily offers the same bodywork, chassis and styling as the diesel model. So the two vans look identical, apart from the badging and a few coloured trim panel accents. So all the standard panels from the diesel will fit if you dent any in the EV. Inside, IVECO has had of course to make a few more changes for the eDaily - namely the bespoke digital instrument cluster. The drive selector is different too, though it's similar in shape and placement to the diesel's HiMatic auto gear shifter. To start, you turn the starting key to the right, then wait a moment and then turn it further to the right. Otherwise, things are much as with any other Daily, with all the now-expected screen tech. There is a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and, for the centre infotainment monitor, the choice of 7 or 10-inch sizes. As is usual in the segment, the backrest of the middle seat optionally folds down to create a desk with a detachable clipboard. And there's concealed compartment under the passenger seat for storing the charging leads. As usual in a Daily, the ergonomics are sound and the cabin plastics utilitarian and hard wearing. The driver's seat is comfortable, can be inexpensively optionally heated and could be specified in HGV-style floating suspended form. There is no option for a hatch to push longer items from the load bay through into the cab. As for cabin storage, there are two lidded compartments, along with a tray featuring a couple of USB sockets on top of the dashboard. Plus a spacious glove box with a shelf above and two more shelves below the climate switches. There are big bins in each of the doors and a cupholder at each end of the fascia.

Market and Model

Pricing for this eDaily varies widely depending on bodyshape and battery choice - from around £54,500 to as much as £118,000. Choose from five lengths, three roof heights, several weight classes and four battery pack options. Aside from the panel van we focus on here, body shape options include chassis cab, crew cab, drop side pick-ups, freezer trucks and a variety of conversions, from crane trucks to rubbish compactors. Any auxiliary equipment you bolt onto the van's chassis can run off the eDaily's battery pack. Adding batteries can be pricey: the cost of two battery modules for instance, taking the 37kWh model up to 114kWh, is comparable to the cost of a brand-new conventional diesel van. Standard equipment includes a Bluetooth-enabled centre screen, powered heated mirrors and an electric parking brake, but you have to pay extra for a rear view camera. Various standard and optional connectivity-enabled services are provided with the eDaily through the IVECO On portal, with software updates enabled over-the-air and predictive diagnostics. The services include the eDaily routing app, which predicts the vehicle's range, how much charge will be required for it to reach its destination and the likely time of arrival. Providing you avoid the single-battery models, camera safety equipment includes autonomous emergency braking with city safe, plus active lane keeping and crosswind assist. You have to pay extra for driver and passenger airbags. A key option is AirPro suspension, which offers an extra layer of safety by optimising load level and ride height, while improving handling. Another important option is the Alexa-based voice assistant, which allows emergency contact and driver-sourced live alerts for upcoming hazards. Via the connected telematics system, fleet managers can enforce various safety rules, such as preventing the handbrake from being disengaged until the driver puts a seatbelt on.

Practicalities and Costs

With over 200 variations of the eDaily available over five lengths and three roof heights, almost any cargo capacity requirement can be catered for, from 7.3m3 upwards. The biggest panel van variant can take up to 19.6m3. That capacity isn't compromised by the EV drivetrain. But you'd expect that payload might be. What that figure is depends on the number of batteries you specify. It's a modest 1,100kg with a single battery fitted to a 3.5t eDaily van. But that figure can rise quite a lot - to as much as 1,415kg on a 4.25t eDaily with three batteries. Incidentally, if you remove a battery, you increase your carrying capacity by 270kg. A 7.2-tonne option is available for those with heavy duty needs. On to charging. With two batteries, the eDaily can use both 80kW DC charging and 22kW AC charging. With the fastest DC speed, you'll be able to boost vehicle range by 62 miles every half hour. The two-battery model plugged into an 11kW AC charging point would need nine hours to charge from empty to full. The battery warranty is for eight years and 155,000 miles for two or three-battery models (or eight years and 100,000 miles for a single-battery variant). The full vehicle warranty's three years and 100,000 miles. Servicing is every two years and 31,250 miles. An 'Elements 2XL' three year / 100,000 mile repair and maintenance package is provided with the eDaily, along with a four year eStart connectivity pack. IVECO provides telematics integration and 24 HGV-style back-up.

Summary

If you just want a straightforward big electric van, the eDaily probably isn't the one you'd instantly choose. As with the diesel Daily, this IVECO model's heavy duty build works against it for payload and economy. Yet it's that same build integrity that might make this LCV a better long-term bet for your business. It would need to be to justify its considerable price premium over EV competitors. Yet you might be prepared to pay that for the unrivalled way that this electric IVECO can be tailored to the exact delivery needs of your business. Not just at purchase point but throughout the vehicle's life. And its drivetrain is cutting-edge, as is its optional AirPro suspension system. In business, you may already have found that paying a bit more up-front saves you money in the long run. So perhaps it might be here.