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LDV has the first electric ute available for purchase in New Zealand.
While there seems to be a feeding frenzy for hybrid or electric cars of late, there’s no such madness for the humble ute.
That’s probably because, despite the electric powerhouses like Tesla or Rivian making lots of promises, to date they haven’t come to the party.
Now it looks like they’ve both been trumped, with SAIC Motor and subsidiary LDV showing the first electric ute available for purchase in New Zealand.
The LDV EVT60 is based around its sibling bi-turbo diesel T60, first seen in NZ a few years ago. Currently only available in rear wheel drive only, a 130kW, single motor set-up delivers 310 Nm torque and a 325km range, using a 88.5kW battery pack located under the centre of the vehicle.
Scheduled for production in September 2022 in China, the first examples available to drive away should land by the end of the year or early 2023. While final pricing and spec is just a little vague, the company has confirmed that it will be below $80,000 meaning it will attract the clean vehicle subsidy that currently sits at $8,625.
The double-cab format with a conventional rear well-side deck has a load rating of 900kg with a towing capacity of 1,000kg.
The company notes that using the vehicle at its maximum towing capacity will reduce its overall range by around 50%. Charging is AC or DC and safety specifications will include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, rear camera, radar and stability control.
Vehicles can be reserved with a refundable $1,000 deposit at the LDV NZ website:
www.ldv.co.nz.
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With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
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