Nissan eNV200 electric van

According to a new survey, 48% of van drivers do less than 100 miles per day, suggesting that they could use an electric van without compromising practicality or scheduling.

Nissan is making a big push into the UK van market, and one of its main differentiators is a market-ready production electric van, the eNV200, which has been extensively trialled, received great feedback, and is due to go on sale in the not-too-distant future.

To help promote the case for electric vans, which I think has already been well proven, Nissan performed this survey* to gather information about van drivers’ habits, quirks and working practices.

One key finding was that 48% of those questioned drive less than 100 miles a day, which according to Nissan means that they could switch their van to an eNV200 electric van without encountering risking flat batteries mid-delivery or having to change their delivery routes.

Just 26% drive more than 200 miles a day, highlighting the fact that the majority of vans are used for local work, where electric vehicles could be very successful — assuming you have somewhere to plug them in and charge them at the end of the day. Many small businesses don’t.

Clean-living music

Not surprisingly, 63% of drivers said they couldn’t live without their radio in their vehicle and when they tune in, 23% choose Radio 2. Surprisingly more van drivers listen to Classic FM than Radio 5 Live and 7% list Talk Sport as their favourite station.

Commenting on the survey results, Jon Pollock, Nissan’s corporate sales director said:

“Van drivers have been given some unfair press in the past which is why we wanted to build up a real picture of what they do, how they think and the features they value on their van. Our research says they are health conscious, hardworking and loyal individuals.”

Nissan’s research also found that cleanliness is next to godliness, in driving terms at least — 92% of drivers said they feel better when driving a clean vehicle, and three out of four (72%) believe it actually makes them a better driver.

Ageing healthy eaters!

Finally no mention of white van man would be complete without a visit to the burger van — or should that be the kitchen? Nissan found that just 15% of van drivers claim to prefer a burger or take away when on the road, while a whopping 32% take a packed lunch, and 8% like a bit of fruit whilst on the road.

However, the survey found that 39% of those questioned were over 45, suggesting that companies aren’t recruiting many young drivers — something which could cause a driver shortage further down the line.

*250 van drivers were questioned.