Nissan is hailing the success of its e-NV200 prototype electric van, which British Gas says confirms its decision to switch 10% of its light commercial vehicle fleet to electric over the next three years.
British Gas has been trialling the electric van at its leicester and Newbury depots for the past few weeks, clocking up over 1200 miles with a full load.
“With electric cars and vans coming of age, we feel the time is now right for us to introduce electric vans into our fleet and we are currently evaluating the benefits they can bring,” explained general manager of the British Gas fleet Colin Marriott.
“With fuel prices continuing to rise, one of the biggest benefits of e-NV200 is the breakthrough in long term running cost savings,” he adds.
Trying out Nissan’s electric van has enabled British Gas to identify which of its 14,000 drivers’ daily travel routines are most suited to an electric van.
Marriott says that the drivers taking part in the e-NV200 trial are now ready to “do away with diesel and go electric”.
Nissan has also been testing its electric van with other fleet owners including the Japan Post Service and FedEx in the UK.
“The global trial of the e-NV200 is part of our process of making continuous enhancements to the vehicle before unveiling the production vehicle,” says Francis Bleasdale of Nissan Motors UK. “Working with large fleets such as British Gas is invaluable to ensure we receive a range of driver and operator feedback.”
Nissan has yet to announce a launch date or pricing and performance information on the e-NV200 but it is likely to be the next electric vehicle launch after the LEAF, which is just starting to be rolled out around the world.
For further information:
www.nissan.co.uk/
www.britishgas.co.uk
Related stories:
Vauxhall’s Ampera comes to UK (1-May)
Norway laps up 1000 Nissan LEAFs in six months (30-Apr)
UK government backs trials of low-carbon trucks (27-Apr)
Seven vans confirmed as eligible for UK electric vehicle grant (24-Feb)
Article source: http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/i/5098/
