LDV T60 EV: electric ute now available in the UK, Australian release not confirmed

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Would you rather have a brand new Ford Ranger Raptor with its twin-turbo petrol V6 engine – or do you prefer big torque from an electric motor?

This is the sort of question that will be on a lot of people’s minds as the first electric production ute is launched in the UK. 

Badged the Maxus T90EV in the British Isles, this ute is better-known in the Asia-Pacific region as the LDV T60 EV – a ute that will be released in New Zealand later in 2022 and possibly Australia after that.

Produced by a subsidiary of Chinese-based SAIC Motor, which also owns MG, the T60 EV uses a 88.5kWh battery pack that powers a 149kW electric motor. The pick-up has a claimed range of 355km (WLTP). 

It’ll be able to carry a maximum payload of 1000kg and can wade through water up to 550mm deep.

The new ute measures in at 5365mm long, 1900mm wide and 1809mm tall, so it’s only a touch smaller than the outgoing Volkswagen Amarok. 

The combustion version of the T60 EV is already available in Australia. Locally, the T60 uses a 160kW/500Nm twin-turbo diesel engine and can tow up to 3000kg. The T60 has a maximum payload capacity of 750kg.

Eschewing the diesel engine for its single electric motor, the T60 EV is the first electric dual-cab to hit the market in the UK, as companies such as Tesla struggle to get their electric utes into the hands of consumers.

The Tesla Cybertruck has been delayed time and time again, however Elon Musk has promised that the truck will be ready sometime in 2023. 

The related LDV T60 electric ute will be introduced to the New Zealand market in September, so the question is: will the LDV or Maxus come to Australia?

Standard specifications for the new electric ute

Standard features on the pickup include a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen, a reversing camera, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights and rain-sensing wipers. 

Some of the available options for the T60 EV include an electric towbar, a front-mounted winch and all-terrain tyres for the off-road enthusiasts. 

Comparing the T90EV to the petrol V6-powered Ford Ranger Raptor 

Electric cars are still battling with the fact that they can’t compete with more affordable combustion-engined motoring. Batteries and other electric systems mean that electric cars are still unattainable for most people. 

The new T60 EV is not a cheap proposition, costing almost exactly the same as the new Ford Ranger Raptor that will soon go on sale here this September. 

Ford Australia announced months ago that the upcoming Raptor performance ute will cost $85,490 before on-road costs locally.

Not only does it make more power than the T60 EV, but it can also take a larger payload, pull more weight and is better setup for off-roading. 

It’s a waiting game to see when electric utes will become affordable. We might see very shortly hybrid utes come to market which utilise the best of both worlds: fuel and electricity.