Voltia conversion expands Nissan e-NV200 electric delivery van for London

Nissan-Voltia eNV200 MAXI operated by Gnewt Cargo

As the United Kingdom joins other countries in committing to a future ban on fossil-fuel vehicles, commercial fleet operators that rely on diesel vehicles are left in a bit of a pickle.

Nissan has an answer in its zero-emission eNV200 electric cargo van, but its small dimensions leave a lot to be desired for commercial operators that need something a little, errrm, bigger.

Thankfully, a European company specializing in electric van fleet implementations is doing what Nissan hasn't: adding more van to the van.

Voltia is now offering upsized versions of the eNV200 that expand the base van's cargo capacity from 140 cubic feet (4 cubic meters) to up to approximately 280 cubic feet (8 cubic meters).

It's called the Nissan-Voltia eNV200 MAXI and it offers operators up to 87 miles (140 kilometers) of range on a single charge (on the European test cycle), using the same running gear as the stock eNV200.

The conversion, which is similar to other van "upfitter" solutions, adds a higher roof and extends the length of the eNV200 to increase its cargo volume.

Voltia will sell you a complete van for 31,900 EUR ($37,600), which includes the the cost of the e-NV200 base vehicle and retains the full Nissan factory warranty.

Voltia's partner and client, Gnewt Cargo, plans to lease 33 electric vans, with partial funding provided by the UK Department of Transport and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.

The total lease cost will be GBP 1.65 million ($2.2 million), of which the government will pay GBP 1.11 million ($1.48 million) to Gnewt. The vehicles will be used for "last-mile logistics."

Voltia is currently taking preorders on an updated version of the van that uses the e-NV200's forthcoming 40-kilowatt-hour battery pack, the same one found in the new 2018 Nissan Leaf.

Nissan and Renault Sell 200,000th EV

With 58% of the market, the Nissan-Renault alliance announced that it has sold its 200,000th electric vehicle. To date, those EVs has covered an estimated 4 billion kilometers, or about 2.85 million miles, saving some 450 million kg of CO2 from entering out atmosphere.

So far in 2014, the two automakers and their subsidiaries have sold over 66,500 electric vehicles, twice as many as their next-nearest competitor, Tesla Motors. Europe has proven particularly hungry for electric vehicles, and this year’s total represents a 20% increase over 2013. The U.S. leads the way in adoptions of electric vehicles with over 67,000 sales to date, with Japan following with 46,000 purchases of its own. Europe trails with 31,500 sales since the LEAF went on sale, though sales are up over 90% this year.

While electric vehicles haven’t been the breakout hit some had hoped for, the word seems to be getting out there as plug-in cars have seen slow-but-steady growth. In the U.S. Nissan remains a sales leader, and the LEAF is a regular contender for the most sales in Norway and continues to set sales records. This year Nissan also began sales of the e-NV200 electric van for commercial buyers in Europe, particularly as taxis, and is testing the waters here in the U.S.

“Renault and Nissan’s electric vehicles are the zero-emission volume leaders and, most important, they enjoy high satisfaction rates from customers around the world,” said Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. “Based on positive owner feedback and the increasing demand for cars that run on renewable energy, it’s no surprise that EV sales are accelerating – particularly in regions where charging infrastructure is well developed.”

Despite a frenzy over several new hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, Nissan has restated its commitment to electric vehicles here and now. More importantly, Nissan is nearing profitability with the LEAF. We may have already reached the tipping point in terms of market acceptance for plug-in cars, and Nissan put together a video to show that once you go electric, there’s no going back.

Source:  Gas2