University of Birmingham orders Nissan e-NV200

The University of Birmingham is one of the first fleet operators to place an order for the Nissan e-NV200 all-electric van – has taken delivery of the vehicle. The e-NV200 Acenta is now in service as a postal vehicle delivering mail across the world-renowned university’s impressive and historic Edgbaston campus.

The revolutionary model – which can cover 170km on a single charge and costs just Re 1 per 0.8 km  to run – joins a 98-strong fleet believed to be one of the most sustainable in the country. 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. “We began trialling electric vehicles six years ago and it’s fair to say we’ve had good and bad experiences in that time. But we were really excited by the arrival of the e-NV200 for a long time as we knew as it had been built from the ground-up to function as a van should. We’ve been really impressed by its performance, versatility and handling.”

Monica added: “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 carbon footprint 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.”

The new e-NV200 offers a class-leading 703kg payload  and is priced from Rs 13 lakhs in panel van form (incorporating PiVG). In addition to low running costs and emissions, users will also benefit from low maintenance costs that make for unrivalled total cost of ownership –Rs 1.2 lakhs lower than a conventional diesel van over four years – and an unbeatable proposition for businesses large and small.