Nissan is describing its e-NV200 electric van, on sale in June, as a ‘game-changer.”
According to its makers the new van combines the best of the existing NV200 van with the powertrain of the LEAF electric car.
The e-NV200 will be available as a van or as a five-seat people carrier in Combi or more upmarket Evalia guises. Nissan believes its 170km (170 mile) homologated range will appeal to fleet buyers as more than half of them do not cover such distances in a day.
Going electric will also not sacrifice carrying capability, the e-NV200 offering the same payload and cargo area is the same as NV200’s, with a volume of 4.2 cubic metres and the ability to take two europallets.
The battery can be recharged overnight using a domestic 16-amp single-phase 3.3 kW supply, while using a 6.6kW/32-amp supply cuts the time to four hours.
A dedicated CHAdeMO DC 50 kW quick charger can recharge the battery from 0-80 per cent in just 30 minutes or less if the battery is already partially charged. The number of public quick chargers is multiplying in such venues as motorway service areas, while many businesses are installing their own.
Although based on existing hardware, the e-NV200 has undergone a full engineering development programme as if it were new from the ground up.
According to Nissan’s European marketing head Guillaume Carter, the e-NV200 will put Nissan into a totally different market segment to its LEAF car and help Nissan maintain a lead in the growth of EVs.
“We haven’t simply converted the NV200 to electric, we have thoroughly re-engineered to create a product that isn’t just a good electric van, it is a fantastic van by any standards,” Carter says.
