Nissan electric van on the cards
Nissan is eyeing off the commercial vehicle market, with plans to produce an electric van for taxi drivers and couriersThe Renault-Nissan Alliance has made several concrete steps towards its ambition to be a world leader in electric vehicle (EV) manufacture -- including setting a timetable for the production of its first EVs -- and now has plans to build an electric van.
Nissan has released a new sketch of an electric van based on the LEAF's underpinnings, showing a desire to bring a zero emission powertrain to the lucrative commercial vehicle market.
With applications for a range of different fields, from courier vans to ambulances, taxis and even law enforcement vehicles, the new concept could catch on faster than electric passenger cars, as owners/drivers would have the potential to reduce the daily driving costs (and CO2 emissions) by significant margins.
Likely to be built on the NV200 vanette platform, a vehicle which is already on sale in Japan, the proposed electric compact van is expected to swap out the NV200's 1.6-litre petrol engine with the powertrain currently being formalised on the LEAF passenger car.
It would need to be recharged via wall socket or dedicated power point to recharge its batteries but during operation would effectively be a zero emissions vehicle. As Nissan's official sketch shows, its new electric van borrows styling cues from the LEAF passenger car, particularly the design of the front end.
With several electric cars planned for 2011 in Europe and Japan, the Renault-Nissan Alliance is making large strides towards becoming a prominent player in the EV field.
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