LDV eDeliver 7 2024 review

The LDV eDeliver 7 is offered in three body styles and with the choice of two battery packs.

There's a short-wheelbase, long-wheelbase, and a long-wheelbase with a high-roof, but if you were hoping to customise further you're out of luck.

The eDeliver 7 comes in three body styles but only one door layout. (Image: Tom White)

The eDeliver 7 range is offered with just one pre-set door layout, a kerbside sliding door and barn doors at the rear.

The two battery packs measure in at 77kWh or 88kWh offering ranges between 310km and 365km depending on bodystyle.

The eDeliver 7 wears 16-inch steel wheels. (Image: Tom White)

We'll talk more on range later (it should be sufficient for most operators), but you should also know the short-wheelbase version can only be chosen with the 77kWh battery, while the long-range 88kWh battery is the only option for the long-wheelbase with a high-roof. Check the table below for more.

LDV eDeliver 7 ABN MSRP

Pricing is keen. Yes, the eDeliver 7 costs between $10,000-$15,000 more than most of its combustion rivals, but this pretty much accounts for the cost of its batteries and is about industry standard.

It also helps to get you off a dependence on diesel and in a key factor for some bigger corporate entities which may be required to budget for these, it has zero driving emissions.

Potential cost savings move beyond just not requiring a re-fuel either, with electric benefits when it comes to servicing. Again, more on this later.

Another bonus is the entire range comes in just one highly-specified trim level, cutting complexity.

Upfront is a new 12.3-inch multimedia screen. (Image: Tom White)

Included are pragmatic 16-inch steel wheels and LED headlights, but the interior is more impressive with a new 12.3-inch multimedia screen.

It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, but it also seems pretty sharp and quick with refreshingly straightforward base software on it.

Other relative luxuries for the van segment include a standard heated steering wheel with leather trim, heated outboard seats, and a half-way decent information panel between the quaint analogue dials which make up the instrument cluster.

Practicality in the cabin is decent if not stellar. There is an array of door pockets suited for different things, two large bottle holders at either extreme of the dash where it meets the doors, a standard-sized glove box, a flip-out storage cubby/ashtray with a 12-volt outlet and a small tray next to the steering wheel.

The front is only offered in a three-seat layout, which is nice to have, and the middle seat has a drop-down divider to convert it into a centre console with two cupholders, a storage tray, and an elastic tie-down seemingly perfect for laptops or folios.

The left-hand side and centre positions also have a large storage area underneath the seat bases, which pop out for easy access. Great for storing tools, perfect for charging cables.

The left-hand side and centre positions also have a large storage area underneath the seat bases, which pop out for easy access. (Image: Tom White)

The driver's seat also offers decent adjustability, but there are a few things missing. There's no telescopic adjust for the steering wheel, no volume knob for the touchscreen, no physical headlight controls (both are accessed via the touchscreen) and a limited set of shortcut buttons and dials for the climate functions. There are also no overhead storage cubbies which you usually see on vans in this class.

As previously mentioned, there is only one door scheme available, the sliding door on the kerb-side, and barn doors at the rear, so if you were hoping to have sliding doors on both sides and/or a liftgate, these aren't options currently.

As it is, the barn doors feature a trick hinge and are able to open out to 180-degrees for the loading of full-width objects.

The existing space is suitably voluminous, with 5.9 cubic metres on offer on the base SWB Low Roof (a touch smaller than a base HiAce LWB), 6.7 cubic metres for the long-wheelbase, or a quite large 8.7 cubic metres in the high-roof version. All versions get six tie-down points in the rear.

The existing space is suitably voluminous, with 5.9 cubic metres on offer on the base SWB Low Roof. (Image: Tom White)

As it is, the load area is clad in a mix of plastic boards down the sides and a soft linoleum style floor. LDV doesn't offer further factory fit-out options like some of its rivals.

The HiAce and Staria, for example, offer the option of glass windows instead of solid panels, options for roof fixtures, lattices for the fixing of work equipment as well as various cladding choices to protect the interior panel work.

LDV says most of its existing G10 owners go to town adding their own mounting systems and interior fittings, but it would be nice to have some of these as a factory-fitted option covered by the same warranty as the van itself.

If you're thinking the massive batteries required to give the eDeliver 7 its sufficient driving range will eat into your payload, you might be surprised.

The barn doors are able to open out to 180-degrees for the loading of full-width objects. (Image: Tom White)

The legal carrying capacity ranges between an impressive 1350kg for the base SWB down to 1175kg for the high-roof version.

You might note this is better than the HiAce and the Staria Load which hover at a little over 1000kg each. Braked towing capacity, which is rare for an EV is also rated at 1500kg braked or 750kg unbraked. Not bad.

One big disappointment is the lack of V2L or an internal three-pin outlet. What better way to maximise the utility of this car's high-voltage systems than offer tradies a way to power their tools and equipment using the van itself. A missed opportunity for sure.

Owners and operators will no doubt want to know the specifics of this van's dimensions, so see those in the table below

LDV eDeliver 7 dimensions and capacities

There's just one powertrain on offer in the eDeliver 7 range, an electric motor producing 150kW/330Nm, which is pretty even with most diesels in this class.

The eDeliver 7 is front-wheel drive only, but the availability of instant torque makes it feel a fair bit more spritely than much of its competition.

Those who have been following the LDV electrification story might know one of the biggest issues facing this car's larger sibling, the eDeliver 9, is its electric motor is limited to just 90km/h, a recipe for frustration as much of the urban sprawl in Australia is freeway-dependent.

There is no stated official energy consumption for any eDeliver 7 variant. (Image: Tom White)

Thankfully, the eDeliver 7 is capable of travelling at up to 120km/h in its Normal or Power drive modes. Eco is limited to 90km/h, but might be good for maxing out range in the daily drive.

The eDeliver 7 also has three levels of regenerative braking adjusted through the central touchscreen to suit the preferences of most drivers.

Driving range should be sufficient for most operators, even with the eDeliver 7 loaded up. Most vans like this do around 150km a day, and with more than double this on all variants in the range, it should be up to the task.

Some private operators who might be doing longer regional trips may want to opt for the diesel version which is set to arrive before the end of 2024.

There is no stated official energy consumption for any eDeliver 7 variant, but the two examples I drove (both a 77kWh SWB and a 88kWh LWB) delivered 21kWh/100km and 19kWh/100km respectively on our roughly 50km drive loop.

This wouldn't be great in a passenger car, but seems fair enough in a van. I am curious to know what it would average over a longer trip and when loaded up to its GVM, so we hope to bring you a more detailed review at a later date.

Charging is provided via a Type 2 CCS charging port, the most common type at fast DC charging locations. (Image: Tom White)

Charging is provided via a Type 2 CCS charging port, the most common type at fast DC charging locations, and the brand has cleverly specified the batteries so they have the same charging time of approximately 43 minutes (maximum DC charging speed is 78kW on the 77kWh battery, while the 88kWh battery is rated to 90kW).

This could be faster, with most passenger cars now capable of charging at more than 100kW, but it is likely most of these vans, particularly ones on fleets, will be doing the majority of their charging overnight in depots.

On this topic, the eDeliver 7 has a maximum AC charging speed of 11kW, for a 5.0-100 per cent charge time of around eight hours for the 77kWh battery option or 9.3 hours for the 88kWh battery. Just-right for overnight.

The brand also chucks in an 11kW AC charging cable as standard, which is a nice touch.

For the EV enthusiasts the battery packs are sourced from a SAIC and CATL joint-venture, use a LFP chemistry, and debut a new cooling system for the brand.

Perhaps what is most impressive about the eDeliver 7 is not only its comprehensive active safety suite, but the fact the systems were calibrated for Australia.

LDV says it had 13 engineers over from SAIC in China to help calibrate things like lane keep assist, auto emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control specifically for our roads, and the improvement compared to even some Chinese passenger cars is notable.

The lane keep is relatively toned down, and you can tweak the responsiveness of the collision warning system to make it a bit less aggressive.

The only active safety feature which annoys me is the traffic sign assist, which sounds a sharp chime if it thinks you're speeding (even when you aren't because it's picked up a 40km/h sign off the back of a bus or something). Thankfully turning it off is just two clicks away on the multimedia screen.

It's also great our tradie friends aren't left without such refinements as auto emergency braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, and even blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. Adaptive cruise is a real plus, too.

LDV hasn't submitted the eDeliver 7 for testing yet, but says it plans to and is aiming for a top ANCAP Gold score in the authority's current commercial vehicle rating system.

Elsewhere the eDeliver 7 scores front and rear parking sensors, a wide-angle reversing camera and six airbags (dual front, side, and curtain).