At last, a competent electric van and even a refrigerated version to be launched at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Nissan LCV e-NV200 Fridge Concept for electric refrigerated small van at 2017 Tokyo Motor Show
Determined to dominate the electric car and van world, Nissan/Renault have rolled out an updated version of the e-NV200. Sporting the same 40kwh battery as the Nissan Leaf, range is now 170 miles using the European system or 140 miles using the US system.
Either way, for a city such as London, this might be the ideal van.
The fridge version is expected to have onboard compressor fridge technology and its own battery pack. The ability to keep deliveries cool and fresh during delivery, coupled with the size benefit to get into smaller back streets is sure to make this van a winner.
2018 Nissan e-NV200 electric delivery van (European version) The brand did not provide range estimates for this concept.
The previous e-NV200 with a 24-kwh pack was rated at 170 km (106 miles) on the lenient NEDC cycle, but a comparable U.S. figure might have been as low as 70 miles. North Americans may not be aware of the e-NV200, since Nissan does not sell the electrified version of its small delivery van in the U.S. or Canada.
Nissan only sells the all-electric small delivery van in Europe and Japan and it has no plans to import the van to North America.
Sales of smaller commercial vehicles in the United States lag those in European and Asian countries, where they are the dominant delivery vehicles and more appropriate for smaller, narrower urban raods. Nissan has tested the e-NV200 for North American deployment in the past, specifically with FedEx.
As regulations call for more zero-emission vehicles, and countries move forward with plans to ban the sale of vehicles powered by internal-combustion engines, electric delivery vehicles will likely become more common. “Last-mile” vehicles that carry parcels and other goods to their final destination will become most prevalent since they do not require particularly long ranges. Long-distance commercial vehicles will likely be electrified powertrains’ final frontier because they require much longer ranges.
As California mulls its own ban on fossil-fuel-powered vehicles, however, perhaps there’s a future for the e-NV200 in the U.S. — sooner or later…
