Tag Archives: Nissan

Will the Nissan e-NV200 electrify the UK van market?

1 Reply
Nissan e-NV200 electric van

The Nissan e-NV200 electric van goes on sale in the UK in June

Nissan’s e-NV200 electric van goes on sale in June.

The company is hoping that it will be the first electric van to break through to the mainstream market, and Nissan has spent a lot of time and effort preparing the ground for this launch.

Large fleet operators have enjoyed a high level of access to the e-NV200, thanks to a number of long-term operational trials aimed at proving the commercial and operational viability of the van.

Companies that have participated in the UK include FedEx and British Gas, which aimed to make a substantial part of its fleet electric by 2015. Further afield, names such as Coca-Cola, DHL, IKEA, EDF and the Japan Post Office have also been involved in trialling the e-NV200 in everyday operational use.

The basics

Nissan says that the electric version of the NV200 has been re-engineered where necessary, to ensure that it is not simply a converted NV200, but a well-designed van in its own right. According to the firm, the e-NV200 has a unique part count of more than 30% — i.e. 30% of its parts are made specially for this model and are not common with the conventional NV200.

Nissan e-NV200 interior

The dashboard and controls in the e-NV200 have been designed to be as similar as possible to a conventional van, in order to aid drivers who have to switch between vans regularly.

The e-NV200’s homologated NEDC [official] range of 170km is greater than the average 100km daily driving distance required by more than half of the fleets who use this size van, says Nissan, while its payload and cargo area (4.2 cubic metres) are the same as the standard NV200.

The battery can be recharged overnight using a domestic 16-amp single-phase 3.3 kW supply which reduces to four hours if a 6.6kW/32-amp supply is used. A dedicated CHAdeMO DC 50 kW quick charger can recharge the battery from 0-80 percent in just 30 minutes or less if the battery is already partially charged. More than 1000 public CHAdeMO quick chargers are now installed across Europe, in addition a number of companies have installed their own dedicated quick charging facilities at their home depots or offices.

Will it work?

I have believed for several years that the big opportunity for mainstream adoption of electric vehicles is in the light commercial vehicle sector.

Nissan e-NV200 electric van being used by florist

Many vans do less than 60 miles a day and never venture outside the city — the ideal usage scenario for electric vehicles.

Nissan shares this view and has made a big commitment to electric vehicles, in both car form (the LEAF) and through the e-NV200. What’s needed now is for a few major van operators and forward-looking looking SMEs to bite the bullet and commit to operating a significant slice of its fleet on electricity.

I believe this is both possible and increasingly likely, and for my money, Nissan has the best chance of any manufacturer yet of delivering an electric vehicle that gains mainstream acceptance.

Watch this space.

New Nissan NT400 Cabstar Goes On Sale In UK

Leave a reply
Nissan NT400 Cabstar

The new Nissan NT400 Cabstar is available in single and double cab models.

The new Nissan NT400 Cabstar has gone on sale across Europe. The updated range benefits from improved payload, a new high output engine option and longer service intervals, as well as improvements designed to make coachbuilt conversions easier to integrate with the base vehicle.

All engine options are fully compliant with Euro 5b+ emission regulations while the new 145hp (107kW) high output engine option is 45kg lighter than the unit it replaces, benefiting both economy and improving the vehicle payload.

The new Cabstar is available in single and double cab forms, in three different wheelbase lengths, five gross vehicle weights from 2.8t to 4.5t, and three power output options all from the same common rail 2.5-litre turbo diesel engine. The three power options are low (121hp/90kW, 250Nm), mid (136hp/100kw, 270Nm) and high (145hp/107kW, 350Nm).

The 145hp option replaces the previous 3.0-litre ZD30 unit and is new to the NT400 Cabstar. Although it is produced by a smaller engine, torque is identical and power is just 5hp less than from the old engine, and Nissan believes the benefits it provides in terms of fuel economy, emissions and operational efficiency are worth the slight cut in outright power.

To make the job of the specialist body builders as easy as possible, Nissan has equipped the NT400 Cabstar with a comprehensive array of connectors, electrical pre-equipment and warning lamps to enable a virtual ‘plug and go’ operation.

The cab has also been upgraded, with new USB/iPod compatible audio equipment and integrated Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free phone use. The dashboard instruments have also been tweeked, while a winter pack is now available, which provides a rear heater in the crew cab model, a heated driver’s seat and heated and electrically adjustable wing mirrors.

Nissan Launches Facelifted NV200 London Taxi Conversion

1 Reply

Nissan NV200 London TaxiNissan’s plans to launch a London tax model based on its NV200 van (or ‘multi-purpose platform’, to use the company’s preferred description) are no secret. The company first showcased a working model back in August 2012, but things have changed a bit since then.

According to Nissan, it received feedback from the London Mayor’s office and Transport for London which sent the firm’s designers scurrying back to their drawing boards to change the way the taxi looks.

Designers at Nissan’s European design centre in Paddington have drawn on styling cues from the current TX1 cab in an effort to persuade passengers and cabbies that their vehicle belongs on London’s streets. Although the NV200 taxi is also destined for use in Barcelona, New York and Tokyo, the firm will produce a London-specific version in an effort to provide the required look.

Among the specific changes that have been made to the front of the NV200 taxi are:

  • Round headlamps and a re-modelled grille mirroring the traditional black cab ‘face’
  • LED lighting to improve visibility of the traditional taxi sign
  • Completely new front bumper panels

Design Excellence Manager at NDE, Darryl Scriven, said:

“Having already overcome the unique technical challenges presented by the development of a new Hackney Carriage for London ahead of our launch of the vehicle in August 2012, we turned our attention to making the vehicle look the part.

“The Mayor’s office and taxi drivers were very keen that we maintain the character of the Hackney Carriage, making it something that people in the city can be proud of.

“The main challenges were concerned with making sure customers can easily recognise it as a taxi. Being in London, we were able to go out and talk to cabbies about what was important to them as well as look at the vehicle from a customer’s viewpoint. It’s unusual for us to be able to work on something as bespoke as this, specifically for one location in the world and we are very proud to have been asked to do so.”

Nissan intends to put the NV200 Taxi for London on sale in the Capital in December 2014, followed by an all-electric version, the e-NV200, in 2015. From launch, the new taxi will be available with a 1.6-litre petrol engine equipped with an automatic gearbox. Compared to current diesel London taxis, this engine will be far cleaner, with lower levels of NOx and particulates.

Nissan Delivers NV200 Vans For Bridgestone-Ulsterbus Tyre Contract

2 Replies
Nissan NV200 Bridgestone-Ulsterbus

One of Bridgestone’s Nissan NV200 vans, which will be used to service a new tyre contract with Ulsterbus.

Nissan has continued to make inroads into the UK fleet market with a new deal to supply seven tyre maintenance vans to Japanese tyre giant Bridgestone, to service a new Bridgestone contact with Ulsterbus, which operates bus services all over Northern Ireland.

The initial order comprises seven Nissan NV200 vans that will be used across the entirety of Northern Ireland. Each van, driven by trained Bridgestone tyre technicians, contains state-of-the-art equipment that will allow them to conduct portable tyre inspections on Ulsterbus buses from any remote location.

Technicians will also be moving tyres and fitting equipment to the Ulsterbus fleet using their vans as mobile service units. Each Bridgestone-liveried Nissan NV200 is expected to cover 20,000 miles a year and will be fitted with internal plylining to increase its durability.

Feedback from Bridgestone drivers has already been positive with the NV200 praised for its spacious load capacity and driver comfort over long distances.

Nichola Randall, Bridgestone fleet manager said:

“The initial driver response to the new vans has been great. With a combination of strong and reliable performance and generous storage space, our technicians will be able to deliver an efficient and high quality service to Ulsterbus across the country.”

Nissan Launches Ready-To-Roll NV200 Fridge Van

1 Reply
Nissan NV200 Fridge

The cooling unit hardly protrudes above the roofline in the Nissan NV200 Fridge – the bulk of the unit is inside, as the picture below shows.

Nissan has launched a refrigerated conversion of its NV200 van that will be available directly from main dealers, with prices starting from £19,375.

The firm says that the decision to offer a fridge van conversion is the result of strong fleet and business demand and highlights that buyers of the new van will get Nissan’s standard three-year warranty, which will include the insulated cell and the cooling unit.

The conversion itself is carried out for Nissan by French converter Gruau, which will install a moulded polyester-polyurethane insulated cell with a cubic capacity of 2.2m³and a Carrier low-profile roof-mounted cooling unit, which will cool the van down to 0°C.

Unlike many aftermarket fridge conversions, where box-like cooling units are bolted on top of the front of the roof, this cooling unit barely protrudes above roof level and maintains the original look and aerodynamic qualities of the van — the majority of the cooling unit is inside the van, although not in such a way as to be likely to affect the usable loadspace.

Nissan NV200 Fridge van insulated cell

Inside the Nissan NV200 Fridge van.

Nissan says that the entire conversion adds just 215kg to the weight of the vehicle, leaving a useful 524kg of payload.

The NV200 Fridge Van also comes fitted with a mains connection, so that it can be plugged into a standard 13A socket overnight to maintain the temperature in the refrigerated compartment.

The van is powered by Nissan’s ever-present (and very good) 1.5 dCi diesel engine, which boasts an official fuel consumption figure of 57mpg, although I would imagine the fridge might reduce this a bit.

Barry Beeston, Nissan corporate sales director said:

“A lot of great work has gone into developing the NV200 Fridge as the ideal solution for any fresh food company’s transportation needs. With the conversion adding little weight to the vehicle, the driving quality and the nimble performance of the base NV200 is maintained. ”

The standard version of the NV200 Fridge includes rear doors only and starts from £19,375, but a model with an additional sliding side door is also available, from £19,675. The van is available to order now from Nissan dealers.

Nissan e-NV200 Is A Hit In London’s Square Mile

Leave a reply
Nissan e-NV200 electric van

Nissan e-NV200 on trial with the City of London Corporation. The e-NV200 is due to be launched in 2014.

The City of London Corporation is the ‘local council’ for the square mile — London’s financial district, which has just 9,000 residents, but has 350,000 daily commuters and nine million annual visitors.

The dense, congested, urban environment in which the Corporation’s vehicles operate should be ideal for electric power, and two trials this year have confirmed this.

Earlier this year the City of London Corporation took part in a successful trial of the Nissan LEAF electric car, and it’s just completed a week-long trial of Nissan’s electric van, the e-NV200.

The Corporation found that the van could complete a typical daily usage cycle on one charge and received positive feedback from all of the drivers who tried the vehicle.

Using an all-electric vehicle means zero CO2 emissions at the point of use, and the cost of charging an electric vehicle is significantly lower than the equivalent cost of diesel.

The London trial is just one of several trials that Nissan has undertaken with the e-NV200, all of which have been successful. The van is due to be launched next year, and I expect it to be one of the first commercially successful electric vans.

Through its extensive trial programme, Nissan has provided key commercial users with a thorough understanding of how the van can be used, and assuming it is sufficiently affordable, I expect demand to be strong.

Nissan Continues Fleet Market Growth With Two New Wins

1 Reply
Barkers Group new Nissan vans

The new fleet of Barker Group Nissans

Nissan has continued to make progress with its drive into the fleet market with two further SME wins, include one where the customer chose to switch to Nissan from Mercedes-Benz.

Bournemouth-based Barker Group, the long established laundry and dry cleaning company, will now use six Primastars and one NV400 (click here for our guide to van sizes) to cover the firm’s operations in the southern counties, including some blue chip clients in London.

The vehicles were chosen by Barker Group after a search to find a better value alternative to the Mercedes LCVs that were previously on its fleet. A detailed presentation led by Nissan Westway Fleet Operations revealed the Nissan vehicles selected offer the best value for pence-per-mile operation.

Matthew Barker, Barker Group managing director said:

“We’re really excited by the new partnership with Nissan that will allow us to grow our business even further. As well as offering fantastic value for money we’ve received great early feedback from drivers about the performance and versatility of the vehicles.”

In the Midlands, Derby-based plumbing and heating firm Vinshire Plumbing and Heating has also made the choice to switch to Nissan, and has added 11 NV200s to its fleet for use by its servicing and maintenance engineers. The vans will cover up to 20,000 miles per year and have been well-received so far, as Vinshire’s Quality Control Manager Simon Burdell explains:

“The NV200s have proved to be a great addition to our fleet and are ideal for the needs of both our maintenance and installation engineers. The feedback has been universally positive so far with the ordering of more vehicles from Nissan a real possibility.”

Although Nissan’s overall share of the UK van market remains small, the firm’s ongoing stream of wins suggests that it is committed to the UK LCV market and can offer highly competitive running costs compared to the ‘incumbent’ manufacturers.

Nissan Fleet Drive Continues As Bodybuilder Bevan Takes 20 NV400 Vans

Leave a reply
Nissan NV400 belonging to Bevan Group

One of Bevan Group’s new Nissan NV400 vans

Nissan’s drive to gain market share in the fleet market has taken another step forward with an order from Bevan Group, one of the UK’s leading vehicle bodybuilders, which has purchased 20 Nissan NV400 vans for use by its national network of mobile technicians.

The fleet of 3.5 tonne GVW front-wheel drive 125PS NV400s in SE trim will be used as mobile workshops to maintain and repair all makes and models of truck and van bodies as well as ancillary equipment such as tail lifts, cranes and roller shutter doors.

Halesowen-based Bevan Group chose Nissan after an extensive test drive programme led by the mobile technicians. They liked the NV400’s performance, low load access height and maximum payload.

Nissan was eventually preferred ahead of vehicles from three other leading manufacturers (it’s interesting to note here that Nissan was — by implication — chosen ahead of Vauxhall and Renault, both of which sell the same van, badged as the Movano and Master respectively).

The vans also feature factory-fitted satellite navigation systems and supplying dealer West Way Nissan has fitted ply-lining kits, deadlocks, alarms, immobilisers and roof-mounted beacons. Bevan will run the vehicles for three years and 105,000 miles.

Simon Dryburgh, Bevan’s Aftercare Manager said:

“By the end of July we’ll have 20 new Nissan vans on the road, that’s six more than we ran previously reflecting the growing demand for our aftercare services.

“The vans are critical for us to help keep our clients’ vehicles on the road. Our team of technicians were impressed with all aspects of the NV400. From a company perspective reliability and running costs are very important and we believe the NV400 will deliver across all of these areas,” he added.

Thanks to the Bevan’s in-house graphics division, the vans’ striking liveries will ensure they also act as a high-profile mobile billboard for Bevan as its technicians travel the length and breadth of the country.

Incidentally, one of Bevan’s own van conversions has featured in these pages before. Bevan’s futuristic ICON luton body aims to cut fuel costs,  something that Lenham Storage has been putting to the test.

Nissan Boosts LCV Fleet Credentials With 275-Van Order

Leave a reply
Nissan NV200 owned by Richard Irvin Services Group

One of the 220 Nissan NV200 vans ordered by Richard Irvin Services Group.

Nissan has never been a big player in the UK fleet van market, but it is gradually making in-roads into this important sector.

Earlier this year, British Gas added 138 Nissan Primastars to its fleet and the Japanese manufacturer has now announced that it has received an order to supply 275 NV200 and Primastar vans to Scottish building services and engineering company, Richard Irvin Services Group (RISG).

The initial order comprises 220 NV200s and 55 Primastars and will be delivered in stages over the next 30 months. Each van will be kept for four years and all will be finished in striking RISG livery. The NV200s will have roof racking fitted with a roller bar plus internal racking for equipment and tools storage.

24 NV200s and 10 Primastars medium vans are already with RISG field engineers who will use the new vehicles to provide an around-the-clock maintenance service when visiting customers who require an on-call reactive service. This order is Nissan’s largest corporate LCV order yet in the UK, highlighting the progress it is making in this key sector.

RISG receives in excess of 60,000 customer calls per annum, and covers the whole of Scotland. As a result, it needed vehicles that are reliable and can comfortably house repair equipment, as well as keep their drivers in comfortable and safe when covering long distances.

Feedback so far has been positive, with drivers praising the vans for their handling, performance and fuel economy.

George Robb, Richard Irvin Services Group procurement director said:

“We’re currently going through a period of investing in our people and capital and this deal marks an integral part of this strategy. We took a product rather than price led selection approach by making sure our drivers tested the vehicles first to ensure they were fit for purpose and we’re happy the feedback so far from the drivers has been so positive.”

Although the Vauxhall Vivaro and some Renault Trafic models are manufactured at the Vauxhall plant at Luton, the Nissan Primastar — despite being essentially the same vehicle — is manufactured at Nissan’s plant in Spain, near Barcelona, as is the NV200. Nissan remains one of the largest vehicle manufacturers in the UK, however, building several of its popular car models, including the Juke and the Qashqai, at its Sunderland plant, which employs 6,000 people.

Nissan e-NV200 Electric Van Completes Winter Testing With Flying Colours

2 Replies
Nissan ENV200 electric van in British Gas livery at CV Show

A pimped Nissan ENV200 electric van in British Gas livery at the 2013 CV Show

On the opening day of the Commercial Vehicle Show, British Gas has announced the conclusion of an intensive month long Nissan eNV200 test programme ahead of its plan to make a substantial proportion of its 13,000 strong LCV fleet electric by 2015.

The cold weather testing programme was conducted in and around Nissan’s Sunderland Plant and testing facility, aimed at getting feedback from various British Gas departments on the 100% electric van driving experience.

With the rising cost of filling up at the pump, the 100% electric e-NV200 promises to help reduce fleets’ running costs while also helping the environment by bringing CO2 down to zero at the point of use.

The recent test in Sunderland saw the zero emission eNV200 run part laden to recreate the conditions of its working life. With temperatures dropping to -12 °C during testing, the UK weather didn’t disappoint and neither did the e-NV200.

During the testing, British Gas engineers, members of the fleet team and part of the management board plus eight members of GMB union successfully put the e-NV200 to the test, demonstrating the pioneering van can be driven safely by staff across British Gas.

Nissan NV200 electric van British Gas trial

The original NV200 electric van that was trialled by British Gas

The company first tested the zero emission e-NV200 in 2012 when drivers praised the van for its driver comfort and generous payload.

The Nissan e-NV200 is a breakthrough zero emission compact van combining certain attributes of two award winning models, the best in class EV power train from the Leaf and the class leading cargo area within a compact body of the NV200.

Bringing electric vehicle benefits to the business world, the e-NV200 offers effective running costs, sustainability and new business opportunities for drivers, such as night time deliveries.

Colin Marriott, fleet general manager at British Gas said:

“We have been very impressed with all elements of the Nissan e-NV200. After our month long test in 2012 which went well the cold weather testing was vitally important to establish the van’s characteristics in real life working conditions. The drivers enjoyed the experience and the vehicle’s performance and reliability. We will now continue further testing in 2013 and 2014 ahead of us deciding our future fleet mix.”