About a year ago, I wrote about the Nissan NV200 which is also known as the “Taxi of Tomorrow”. The Nissan taxi van basically offers a better and more comfortable experience for passengers compared to the other taxi vehicles around New York city. Nissan is now making it available in an electric version with the Nissan e-NV200 and is available as a five-passenger vehicle, a light commercial vehicle, and it will also be offered as a taxi version.
The Nissan e-NV200 is to be built in Barcelona, Spain where the company has spent $139 million to put this vehicle into production. According to Nissan, the e-NV200 will initially be available in 20 different international markets and that number is expected to increase after the initial launch in July of 2014.
The Nissan e-NV200 will borrow the all-electric and battery-powered drivetrain from the Nissan Leaf but will have the cargo and passenger capacity of the NV200 van. The van will be capable of a driving range of 105.6 miles (170 kilometers).
The van is to be powered by a 107.2 horsepower (80kW) AC synchronous motor and is integrated with the battery charger and inverter in a compact and self-contained unit. The Lithium-ion battery is a bit different than the Nissan Leaf so that it would be able to fit under the van’s floor without compromising the cargo space. Just like the Leaf, the Nissan e-NV200’s battery will have 48 modules as well as the same 24kWh capacity but stored differently.
Overnight charging is required if you use a standard house outlet but the time can be reduced to four hours if a 6.6kW/32-amp supply is used. Nissan e-NV200 owners can also recharge the battery from 0 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes is they use a dedicated CHAdeMO DC 50kW Quick Charger. According to Nissan, it should cost the owner of the van just $0.03 per mile.
Owners of the van can also expect to save just over $4,200 in fuel savings and another $970 on servicing, parts, and general wear and tear. More details to follow as the launch date approaches.
