The University of Birmingham – one of the first fleet operators in the UK to place an order for the trailblazing Nissan e-NV200 all-electric van – has taken delivery of the vehicle.

The e-NV200 Acenta is now in service as a postal vehicle delivering mail across the world-renowned university’s impressive and historic Edgbaston campus.

The revolutionary model – which can cover 106-miles on a single charge and costs just two pence per mile to run – joins a 98-strong fleet believed to be one of the most sustainable in the country.

Offering true zero-emissions mobility it will contribute to the university’s strict carbon management plan and help it qualify for additional funding from the Higher Education Funding Council.

Monica Guise, University of Birmingham’s Post, Portering and Transport Manager, said:

“We had been eagerly awaiting the launch of the e-NV200  for about two years and so we were delighted to be the first to place an order and one of the first to take delivery.

We began trialling electric vehicles six years ago and it’s fair to say we’ve had good and bad experiences in that time.

But we were really excited by the arrival of the e-NV200 for a long time as we knew as it had been built from the ground-up to function as a van should. We’ve been really impressed by its performance, versatility and handling.”

As I’ve suggested before, one of the ways to encourage organisations to take-up new technology is to make sure it pays — and this is clearly a motivator for the University, as Monica Guise explains:

The van will only cover about 4,000 miles per year, doing 25-35 miles per day, so we only need to charge it a couple of times a week. But in terms of the emissions, the e-NV200 will help us deliver on our environmental commitments and will play a big role us meeting the carbon targets that trigger additional central funding.

Anything we can do to reduce the CO₂ emissions from within our fleet directly impacts on our funding from government. That’s one of the reasons we’re aiming to have 40% of our fleet fully electric by 2020.”

Interestingly, the van is not being purchased direct from Nissan but is being leased through Lex Autolease, which is a significant step into the mainstream for electric vans, in my view, as Ms Guise explains:

“All of a sudden we’re in the position where fleet managers don’t have to manage the financial risk that comes with new technology – that’s a massive shift.”

Based on the Nissan NV200 – International Van of the Year 2010 – and utilising the proven technology of the record breaking Nissan LEAF, the new e-NV200 offers a class-leading 4.2m³ capacity and 703kg payload  and is priced from £13,393 in panel van form (incorporating PiVG).

In addition to low running costs and emissions, users will also benefit from low maintenance costs that make for unrivalled total cost of ownership – £1,200 lower than a conventional diesel van over four years – and an unbeatable proposition for businesses large and small.