Currently reading: Electric Nissan e-NV200 van on sale in May
Nissan's NV200 gets the powertrain from the Leaf. The new electric van will be targeted at business users and on sale in May

A production version of the electric Nissan Nissan e-NV200 van will be revealed at the Geneva motor show, prior to it going on sale in May.

The new e-NV200 is based on Nissan's existing NV200 but, instead of a conventional diesel powertrain, it features the electric drive system from the Nissan Leaf.

Nissan will initially offer the e-NV200 in van and five-seat people carrier variants. Using the Leaf's electric motor and battery pack will grant it around 107bhp and 207lb ft, and the range has previously been claimed to be equivalent to the Leaf's - around 80 miles in normal real-world conditions.

Charging is also similar to the Leaf, with the e-NV200 reputedly being capable of an 80 per cent charge in less than 30 minutes when connected to a suitable charging point.

Despite the addition of the battery pack, the e-NV200's load bay and maximum payload rating is reputed to be unchanged. Real-world tests of the van have long been underway, with both FedEx and the Japan Post Service trialling the all-electric van.

The new e-NV200 is targeted primarily at businesses. Official pricing is yet to be confirmed but Nissan had said the initially higher price would be offset by a "reduction in operating costs", compared to a standard diesel van. Currently, the diesel NV200 is priced upwards of £13,585.

The launch of the electric van is said to help Nissan "continue its dominance of the electric vehicle sector".

Previously, a concept of the e-NV200 had been shown at the Detroit motor show in 2012.

Advertisement

Read our review

Car review

The electric Nissan Leaf has its work cut out competing with cheaper mainstream cars - but it does make a case for itself

Add a comment…