We review the Nissan e-NV200 all-electric van from price to economy and all its features
MEET Steve and Alex Moore — two of Britain’s grafters.
They work 24/7 running the family plumbing firm from a Mercedes Vito and VW T5.
But how would they manage with an all-electric van?
The £13,393 Nissan e-NV200 costs 2p a mile to run, road tax is free and maintenance is £1,200 lower than a diesel van over four years. So it could save them some serious cash.
But is the e-NV200 really up to the job? They tested one for a week.
Alex said: “I was sceptical at first but I was pleasantly surprised. It was decent.
“It’s really nippy, quiet obviously and, for a town or city van, it was great. Light steering, easy to park, sensors, rear camera, two sliding side doors, bingo. A great bit of kit and no fuel bills.”
Put simply, the e-NV200 combines the normal award-winning NV200 van with the battery from the Sunderland-built Leaf. It has a load space of 4.2m3 (two Euro pallets), 703kg payload, 106-mile range and can be charged from zero to 80 per cent in 30 minutes.
But “range anxiety” is still the Achilles’ heel for most electric vehicles.
Alex said: “One day we got to ‘zero miles’ a few miles down the road and managed to limp home.
“I don’t like to ask a customer to put my phone on charge, so I’d hate to ask to charge my van! They’d think their meter would have smoke coming off it. But when there are charging points on street lights it would be a no-brainer.”
Who said that water and electric don’t mix?
BRITISH Gas and DHL have ordered the e-NV200 in big numbers. A seven-seat combi, aimed at taxi firms and large families, arrives in June.