The What Van? Road Test: Iveco eDaily

Date: Thursday, March 28, 2024

Iveco is determined to boost its share of the zero-emission commercial vehicle market with the all-electric eDaily.

Debuting in the UK last year, the eDaily line-up encompasses vans, chassis cabs and crew cabs grossing at from 3.5t to 7.2t. Customers can select models with one, two, three or four battery packs delivering 37kWh, 74kWh, 111kWh and 148kWh respectively; a remarkably comprehensive line-up.

Batteries can be added or subtracted during the eDaily’s working life if the operator’s requirements change. The exercise takes around two hours.

Remove a battery and you increase your carrying capacity by 270kg.

Power comes courtesy of a 140kW motor. However it is worth noting that this drops to 100kW if you specify a single battery pack.

Businesses eager to maximise payload capacity should be aware that the 4.25t eDaily 42S can be driven on a car driver’s licence as a concession to its zero-emission status. Ordinarily drivers who passed their car driver’s test after 1 January 1997 have to pass a separate test if they want to drive anything heavier than 3.5t.

Bear in mind though that if you want to take advantage of the 4.25t concession then you will have to undergo five hours of special training.

It could be worth it. Opt for two batteries on a 3.5t eDaily van and your maximum gross payload is a modest 1,100kg. Opt for three on a 4.25t and your maximum shoots up to 1,415kg; so one can appreciate the model’s appeal.

Cargo space is unlikely to be an issue with eDaily. Maximum van load volume is an echoing 19.6m³.

We decided to make Herefordshire a cleaner, greener place by taking charge of a 3.5t 35S14E single-rear-wheel eDaily chassis cab with a 4,100mm wheelbase and fitted with a dropside body. It came with two battery packs so we had 74kWh to play with, with 70kW of usable energy.

Here’s how we fared.

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