NISSAN E-NV200
With a theoretical 174-mile range, the Nissan e-NV200 is an insight into the vans of the future.
There aren’t many zero-emission commercial vehicles available at the moment, but there will need to be in the future as cities and governments look to reduce the impact of pollution on urban environments in particular. We are already seeing manufacturers bring a lot of passenger vehicles to the market, with Nissan and its ‘Leaf’ electric car proving to be the most popular of the lot.
With the e-NV200, Nissan has taken the electric heart of the Leaf and implanted it into a working commercial vehicle body. The result is a small panel van which is perfect for short-distance errand running, with a good level of space and a theoretical range of 174-miles.
As a smaller van, the e-NV200 can take up to two Europallets in its cargo area and has a total volume of 4.2m³. The length of the load bay is 2.04-metres while the width is listed at 1.22-metres, while the maximum payload is 770kg. You’re probably wondering where all the batteries are, after all, electric vehicles need a lot of them to get going, and they’re in the floor of the cargo area. This is the approach many manufacturers developing EV commercial vehicles appear to be taking, and it hasn’t made the e-NV200 more difficult to load up, as the load height is just 524mm.
Being an electric vehicle, the acceleration feels very spritely due to the instantaneous torque that electric power provides. You also don’t have a gearbox as such - there’s just one ‘drive’ that powers the wheels – and the e-NV200 features regenerative braking, which means you don’t even have to press the brake pedal that often once you get the hang of it. Add to this the lack of noise from where a traditional diesel engine would be, and you have a commercial vehicle that is actually far less stressful and tiring to drive.
With an impressive range for an electric commercial vehicle and the reputation and engineering of the Nissan Leaf beneath you, the Nissan e-NV200 is easy to recommend to Synergy business clients looking to get into zero-emission transport.