Farmers question whether batteries used for electric utes will have the necessary range

That's the belief of a farm lobby group which says some of the manufacturers' claims need to be tested against actual farm use.

Aussie farmers will be waiting "quite a while" for an all-electric workhorse, according to NSW Farmers energy transition workforce chair Reg Kidd.

Mr Kidd was responding to last week's announcement from Chinese manufacturer LDV which said the first fully-electric ute would be in Australian showrooms by November.

Costing an estimated $70,000, the manufacturer claimed laboratory testing in line with global standards found itsT60 has a range of 330 kilometres.

But Mr Kidd said the advertised range of EV batteries also needed to account for the hard work a ute was called on to perform on properties.

Mr Kidd said it would be a long time before primary producers make the switch from diesel.

"There's a lot of promise in these new electric vehicles, but farmers need reliability and endurance when it comes to their trusty ute," Mr Kidd said.

"You need something that can get up and go all day, not just around the farm but into town as well, and sadly these batteries just don't have the range yet."

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Mr Kidd said recent tests of electric utes in the United States revealed a full load or towing a trailer drastically reduced the advertised range.

"One of these big American 'trucks' had its range halved when it was towing a trailer, and for farmers who load of the back of their ute, that's a bit of a worry," he said."

"The other big concern we have, particularly out west, is that charging stations are few and far between, so it might be okay on your property, but can you get home from town?"

LDV's eT60 will be powered by an 88.5 kilowatt hour lithium-ion battery pack..

The ute's DC fast-charging capability will charge from 20 per cent to 80pc in roughly 45 minutes but fully charging the vehicle from 5pc to 100pc using an 11kw charger will take nine hours.

LDV was originally a manufacturer of vans in Britain before it was acquired by SAIC Motor Corporation in 2010.

The brand has been available in Australia since 2014 and the eT60 is based on its T60 model. There have been 22,092 T60s sold during its time here.

The eT60 will initially be offered as a 4x2 dual cab and is expected to be a value-focused electric vehicle offering.

Also, Australian company ACE is also taking reservations for its electric offering the Yewt, which was originally slated to roll out in early 2022.

LDV has two other EVs arriving in November; the eDeliver 9 large van and the Mifa 9 luxury electric people mover able to transport up to seven people.

Pricing and full specification details will be available for all three vehicles during the launch in two months time.