e-NV200: Business Support

2014/06/11

e-NV200: BUSINESS SUPPORT

Nissan is helping business to make the switch to zero-emission mobility with dealer-based EV programmes

• Dedicated dealers ready with driver training courses...
• ... and business-friendly EV servicing plans
• Support for expanding Quick Charge provision
• Nissan leading UK's Rapid Charge Network

Although exceptionally easy to drive, the sheer depth of its abilities allied to its advanced telematics means that a different approach is needed for living with the Nissan e-NV200 if its maximum potential is to be realised.

To ensure fleet operators, drivers and owner/drivers fully understand all aspects of the vehicle, Nissan has established EV specialist dealers who will be running regular driver training programmes.

These will show drivers the most economical method of driving e-NV200 as well as explaining recharging techniques. Dealer-based EV experts will also explore aspects of the Smartphone-based telematics that bring a new dimension to life with the vehicle.

The dealers will also be able to provide specialist servicing arrangements to ensure down time is kept to a minimum, vital for a working vehicle.

With 70 percent of vans in Europe  averaging 100 km per day and 35 percent never covering more than 120 km in a day, public quick charging will not necessarily be a part of regular use for all e-NV200 fleets. However, the flexibility of the three charging modes allows drivers to charge easily during their work dayday. The most common forms of daytime charging will be via one of the tens of thousands of public 16 or 32 amp chargers with a Mennekes connector. The flexibility of the e-NV200's charging ports means that the vehicle can also be charged via a conventional domestic electricity socket. For charging during a journey the ability to quick charge the e-NV200 with a special CHAdeMO Quick Charger means that a 10 minute coffee stop has the potential to add 25 percent charge to the battery.

With this in mind, Nissan is helping expand Europe's network of Quick Chargers. To date, Nissan has donated hundreds of Quick Chargers to governments and municipalities, services stations or shops (such as IKEA, Auchan, McDonalds and Kiwi) across Europe to help accelerate the growth of electric vehicles and zero-emission mobility.

And the company is leading the consortium behind the UK's Rapid Charge Network (RCN), part of a European Union-backed investment in future mobility.

When complete, a total of 74 rapid chargers will have been installed, covering more than 1,100 km of major trunk routes and providing EV-friendly links to five seaports and five international airports running the full length and breadth of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Nissan is leading RCN's funding which is co‑financed by the European Union through the Trans European Transport Network (TEN-T) programme. Further contributions come from fellow consortium members Renault, BMW, Volkswagen and ESB, Ireland's Electricity Supply Board. It also draws on the network expertise of Zero Carbon Futures and Newcastle University.

Significantly, the rapid chargers being deployed will be the first state-of-the-art multi-standard units in public operation in Europe. This will ensure that every EV owner in the UK can undertake long journeys secure in the knowledge that they will never be far from a rapid charger no matter what brand of car they drive.

The units are compatible with vehicles using 44kW DC CCS, 44 kW DC CHAdeMO or 43 kW AC systems. Installation of the rapid chargers is due to be completed by the end of 2014.