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By Jonathan Crouch

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

Ten Second Reviewword count: 49

IVECO's eDaily is easily the most flexible van solution for fleets looking to make the seismic switch from combustion to EV power. There's a price to pay for that, but it gets you a tough, heavy duty contender that can adapt to your business as its EV needs grow.

Backgroundword count: 168

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 Experienceword count: 400

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).

To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227