The University of Birmingham has taken delivery of a Nissan e-NV200 all-electric van, after being one of the first fleet operators in the UK to put in an order.
The e-NV200 Acenta is now in service as a postal vehicle delivering mail across the university’s campus.
The all-electric van joins a 98-strong fleet, which claims to be one of the most sustainable in the UK.
Th e-NV200 has an official range of 106-miles on a single charge and costs just two pence per mile to run.
Offering true zero-emissions mobility it will contribute to the university’s strict carbon management plan and help it qualify for additional funding from the Higher Education Funding Council.
Monica Guise, University of Birmingham’s Post, Portering and Transport Manager, said: “We had been eagerly awaiting the launch of the e-NV200 for about two years and so we were delighted to be the first to place an order and one of the first to take delivery.
“The van will only cover about 4,000 miles per year, doing 25-35 miles per day, so we only need to charge it a couple of times a week.
“But in terms of the emissions, the e-NV200 will help us deliver on our environmental commitments and will play a big role us meeting the carbon targets that trigger additional central funding.
“Anything we can do to reduce the CO2 emissions from within our fleet directly impacts on our funding from government. That’s one of the reasons we’re aiming to have 40% of our fleet fully electric by 2020.”
Based on the Nissan NV200 – International Van of the Year 2010 – the e-NV200 features much of the same technology that is present in the world’s best selling EV, the Nissan LEAF. What’s more, the all-electric van offers a class-leading 4.2m3 capacity and 703kg payload.
Pricing starts at £13,393 in panel van form, with the combi version coming in at £19,003 (both including the government £5000 PiVG).
In addition to low running costs and emissions, Nissan claim users will also benefit from low maintenance costs. Nissan estimates e-NV200 drivers will save £1,200 over four years, in comparison to if they were to drive conventional diesel van.
Click here to view all the publicly available charging points in Birmingham.
Nissan
