Mid 2013, Nissan is planning on releasing the e-NV200 all electric minivan. After winning the ‘taxi of tomorrow’ program in New York with 6 already on the streets of the City, the Nissan e-NV200 is the only all electric van available in the US. Ford was producing a Transit Connect retrofitted electric minivan for a while, but the company doing the retrofitting has since filed for bankruptcy and Ford hasn’t announced a plan to revive the program. The Renault Kangoo ZE, an all electric van from Nissan’s sister company, is unavailable in North America.
The e-NV200 comes with DC quick charging which makes it ideal for commercial delivery and taxi businesses in densely populated areas. The Nissan e-NV200 will be able to recharge in about 20 minutes. With a drivetrain similar to the Nissan Leaf, the electric van should get about 100 miles of range.
Fleetdrive is a company who aids businesses in buying and leasing commercial vehicles. According to them, 80% of their enquiries in the Fleetdrive Electric division are for electric vans. The Nissan e-NV200 is position nicely to fill that need.
