MAXUS EDELIVER 7
Launched at the CV Show in 2023, the Maxus eDELIVER 7 is a mid-size electric van that will sit between siblings the eDELIVER3 & eDELIVER 9. We spent an informative day at Maxus HQ in Liverpool learning about the new van & driving it as well.
Launched at the CV Show in 2023, the Maxus eDELIVER 7 is a mid-size electric van that will sit between siblings the eDELIVER3 & eDELIVER 9. We spent an informative day at Maxus HQ in Liverpool learning about the new van & driving it as well.
It’s available in three sizes; L1H1, L2H1 & L2H2 & comes with two battery choices; 77kWh or 88kWh. L1H1 & L2H1 are available with both batteries, whilst the largest version L2H2 is only offered with the 88kWh battery.
L1H1 offers a cargo volume of 5.9m3, a length of 2547mm, width 1800mm & a height of 1390mm. The side facing sliding door is 900mm wide. L2H1 has a volume of 6.7m3, is 2913mm long, 1800mm wide, 1390mm high with a 990mm wide side sliding door. And ,the largest van the L2H2 offers up a carrying capacity of 8.7m3, with a length of 2913mm, a height of 1693mm, width of 1800mm & also offers the 990mm side sliding door.
All versions feature a steel bulkhead with an observation window, rear wing doors with 90°/180° opening & 6 tie-down loops. Options include a dual sliding door & a power kerbside side-step which is available in conjunction with alloy wheels. Included too are a 6m power charging cable & rear trailer hitch interface.
Power & performance
Maximum power with both batteries is 150kW & maximum torque is 330Nm. Top speed is limited to 55mph if you drive in ECO mode, or 75mph in Normal or Power mode. It will take 10.8 seconds to go from 0-62mph.
Charging & range
At home on an 11Kw AC charger you’ll be able to charge your eDELIVER 7 77kWh battery, from 5-100% in 8 hours. Away from home using a 90kW DC charger a 20-80% charge takes just 43 minutes. Charging’s a little slower with the 88kWh battery, so 9.3 hours from 5-100% charge on a 7kWh home charger, https://www.rolecserv.com/home-charging & 43 minutes from 20-80% using a 90kW DC charger. WLTP combined range with the 77kWh battery is 200 miles, whilst the 88kWh battery increases the range to 230 miles.
Technology & comfort
All variants of the eDELIVER 7 feature a 12.3-inch touch screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, MP5, DAB, Bluetooth, a single USB input, a 12v socket & 4 speakers. All specs also offer a heated steering wheel, manual air-con, one touch start, automatic LED headlights, a heated windscreen & front & rear fog lights
You can select your eDELIVER 7 with either a 2 seat passenger front bench or a single passenger seat. The steering wheel only offers rake adjustment. The drivers seat which is manually adjusted comes with a heated function, single armrest & is height adjustable, reclines & has adjustable lumbar support.
Safety
The eDELIVER 7 also comes equipped with an array of standard safety features & smart technologies, including Blind Spot Detection, Lane Change Assist System, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Front & Rear Parking Sensors, Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS), Reversing Camera, Front Collision Warning System (FCW), 360° Camera, Lane Departure Warning & Lane Keeping, Emergency Lane Keeping Assist System, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop&Go, Intelligent Headlight Control (IHC), Speed Limit Sign Identification System & Fatigue Driving Monitoring & Early Warning System.
The eDELIVER 7 looks like most mid-sized vans & will be competing with the Stellantis electric vans the Citroen eDispatch, Peugeot eExpert, Vauxhall Vivaro Electric & Fiat Professional e-Scudo, as well as the Toyota Proace Electric & when it arrives the electric Ford Transit Custom.
The front features a bee-hive shaped grille with narrow LED headlights above on each corner & a Maxus logo dead centre. The fog lights sit low down on the front & the rear comes with a high mounted brake light, narrow edge light clusters, the SAIC Motor & Maxus eDELIVER 7 logos finishing things off.
Interior
The eDELIVER 7 dash & controls can best be described as sparse, as it utilises the same infotainment system you’ll find in the brands MIFA 9 people carrier. This does de-clutter the dash & make it look very upmarket for a van, but when travelling we’d surmise that to access some functions would be challenging, for example turning off the lane departure whilst on the move. In time, we’re sure that the driver would adapt, but for ease of use in some areas, it’s unnecessarily complicated.
On the plus side, Maxus have included short cut climate controls which is big tick from us & to the right of the driver there are manual buttons for the driving modes, Eco, Normal or Power, electric mirrors, & electric parking brake.
In front of the driver is a clear & concise digital drivers display which illustrates the battery charge, your speed & vehicle range. Steering wheel controls allow you to adjust the infotainment, receive a hands-free phone call & set the vehicles cruise control function. Apple CarPlay is offered via the single USB, useful for our iPhone & Apple Maps.
Storage comes in the form of a good sized glove box, large door pockets, a dash mounted bin just to the left of the driver handy for the keys, a half dash-top storage area & a low down space in front of the centre passenger. More good news is that you change gear using a steering wheel stalk located on the right side of the steering wheel. This not only frees up space for the legs of your third passenger but is easy to reach & to use as well.
The interior itself features some decent plastic finishes across the dash & doors & the seat upholstery feels hard wearing. The floor is protected by a black, shiny, vinyl wipe clean carpet.
Prices
Pricing for the eDELIVER 7 starts from £44,995 + vat for the L1H1 77kWh version, rising to £49,995 + vat for the largest L2H2 88kWh model.
Warranty
All MAXUS vehicles come with five years warranty or 60,000 miles & include five years roadside assistance cover as standard.
On the road
We had the opportunity to drive two versions, the L1H1 & L1H2, both fitted with the 88kWh battery. The first thing to say is that driving the eDELIVER 7 is a doddle. It feels like piloting a large SUV. Climb aboard push the start button select Drive & away you go.
We began in Eco mode which limits your top speed to 55mph & the van with two of us on board felt plenty powerful enough. As we headed onto the M57 we changed into Normal & accelerated up to motorway speeds. The cabin is eerily quiet & the eDELIVER 7 makes smooth progress. We selected cruise control & allowed the van to sit at 65mph as we headed towards Runcorn. All around visibility is good with the added bonus of on board front & rear parking sensors, a reversing camera & a 360° camera, meaning reversing or parking is easy than in may vans.
Being an EV, the eDELIVER 7 offers three levels of regeneration which you can select via the touchscreen. High, for the most assist, Low the least & Standard the de facto setting. We tried all three. High does add a bit more accelerator weight to the drive & you’d want to utilise this level in town or stop-start driving situations. Low gives the van a little more oomph, useful for the motorway whilst Standard unsurprisingly sits somewhere in between. Given time we’re sure you’d find which works best for you. Similarly, with the driving modes, you’d want to use Power if you’re carrying a larger load especially on an incline. Normal allows you to do most of our driving, with Eco a good idea when you’e van is empty or you’re not in any hurry & can happily stay below 55mph.
As far as comfort goes, the seats are nicely adjustable, all of the controls fall easily to hand & the bonus of a heated steering wheel & heated seats mean you can utilise both to keep warm & will save draining battery power via the climate controls. The only negative we could find is that the steering wheel does not adjust for reach, only up & down.
Pros
Comfortable & spacious interior. Fantastic safety is fitted across all versions. Neat & tidy dashboard with large, bright & clear infotainment that you can reach from the drivers seat. Two batteries, two heights, two lengths & a 1 tonne payload gives operators a decent choice. A 200 or 230 mile driving range is ultra competitive.
Cons
No chassis version yet. Even the entry level version isn’t cheap.
Verdict
Maxus has done it again. It’s only 5 years since we drove the LDV EV80, a pre-cursor to the eDELIVER & Maxus has already managed to launch three electric vans & an electric pick-up. The step up in quality is clear to see with the eDELIVER 7 joining the eDELIVER 9 as two of the nicest electric van cabins out there.
With the eDELIVER 7, the brand has tried hard to cover as many bases as they can offering two heights & two lengths, with the option of two batteries as well. In 2023 only Vauxhall sold more electric vehicles than Maxus, so they’re definitely heading in the right direction.
As an aside we were given a tour of the brands parts warehouse & it would appear that Maxus can look after customers as well.
On the downside, the eDELIVER 7 doesn’t come cheap, but if you do make the switch, both versions offer good battery ranges. Furthermore, Maxus are utilising vehicle telematics via LEVL GEOTAB, which offers signifiant benefits to operators who are in electric vehicles already or who are looking to make the switch, by enabling data & AI to improve drivers performance & vehicle use. More miles for your buck & at a lower cost. What’s not to like ?