What is it?

It’s electric and it’s big.

This is Iveco’s second attempt at electrifying the Daily and it has nailed it this time with the electric version of the successful Daily range and offers a wide range of variants from 3.5 tonnes to 7.2 tonnes gross vehicle weight and bodies include panel van, crew cab, chassis and minibus. Panel vans offer between 7.3cu m and 19.6cu m of loadspace and a payload of up to 3,955kg. Chassis cabs are rated at up to 4,600kg and the eDaily has a towing capacity of up to 3.5 tonnes.

There’s a lot of movement in the LCV market as fleet operators look to transition to electric and finding the right van for your business is key – is it big enough? Is it powerful enough? Is the range good enough?

This is where the eDaily scores highly. It can be configured with one-to-three modules, which each have a capacity of 37kWh. Batteries can also be added or removed in-life if operational needs change. The range of the vehicle varies dependent on the configuration. For example, a 3.5-tonne panel van with one battery can cover 75 miles, while a 5.25-tonne van with two batteries can cover around 115. The longest range vehicle available is the 4.25-tonne van, with three batteries, which can cover up to 220 miles.

The chassis of the eDaily is the same as diesel versions so can be configured for different purposes. Main difference is the on-board power supply. Three power take off  options are available that utilise the vehicle’s battery; a 2.5kW socket can be used to power a tail-lift for example while a second socket delivers up to 15kW, so good for a refrigeration unit.

On the outside, the eDaily looks much the same as the diesel version.  The charge port is hidden behind a flap in the front grille.

If you’re wondering whether the eDaily is strong enough for you a standard all-electric Iveco eDaily 3.5 tonne van has claimed the official Guinness World Records title for the ‘Heaviest weight towed by an electric van’. Towing an incredible 153.58 tonnes, this standard production electric vehicle is now globally recognised for its extensive capabilities. In fact, this achievement surpasses records set by all-wheel drive electric cars, an impressive feat delivered by the eDaily’s 140kW rear-wheel drive drivetrain with 400Nm of torque.

On 20th June 2023 the record-breaking eDaily was hitched to the enormous IVECO X-Way Strator truck, built for Iveco customer Essex haulage company G&B Finch. This mighty machine was specially engineered to cope with moving large-scale loads of up to 150 tonnes.

The truck’s trailer was laden with a huge Collard Group earth-mover weighing in excess of 50 tonnes, with an additional seven tonnes of ballast being added for good measure. A fully-loaded Iveco X-Way 8×4 tipper truck was then attached to the Strator’s trailer before an all-terrain airport fire truck completed the 153-tonne road train. A specialised towbar designed by Mike Parker Design meeting record criteria insured this vast weight was secured to the eDaily.

What do we think?

Well, so much for it’s towing ability, we had a much more practical task in mind for the eDaily. Shifting a heavy three piece suite plus various other household goods some 90 miles across Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. Our model was the 3.5t, two battery variant with an indicated range of 123 miles.

Would we be able to make the run in one go given the considerable weight we’d added plus the notorious hilly route (there were no motorway options)?

Things didn’t look good after the first three miles climbing up Portesham Hill from the old Jurassic Coast Road which saw the range quickly drop to 98 miles! However, things then evened out as we progressed. Eco mode plus some feather footedness on the throttle saw us cover the distance with 40 miles to spare.

On the road, the eDaily does not display electrifying acceleration or performance but it remains consistent whatever the payload and there is ample power when you need it. What does take some getting used to is the almost silent running.

The cabin is pretty much as you’d find any Iveco Daily, simple and robust. It includes a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system as standard while the reversing camera on panel van variants is a must.

A suite of connected services have been developed to support drivers and fleet operators with the transition to electric. Free for the first four years, the package includes remote access via mobile app, remote vehicle health monitoring and telematics functions such as driver behaviour and vehicle tracking. The app allows drivers to monitor range and charging. It will also alert them if the vehicle stops charging unexpectedly or isn’t plugged in. Vehicle parameters can also by controlled remotely by fleet managers.

From what we’ve seen so far from the various electric van offerings, the eDaily comes across as perhaps  the most versatile  currently on sale, although price might by an issue for fleets. Starting at £53,552 (CV OTR) – and you can add quite a few £££s as you spec the vehicle up, it’s more expensive than Ford’s eTransit for example, but then it is more adaptable to specific needs.