While production will begin in Europe a North American version of the e-NV200 battery van is likely to follow.
The self-styled leader in the emerging battery car field, Nissan is adding yet another electric model to its line-up.
The maker has confirmed it will produce a battery-electric version of its NV200 commercial van. The big brother to the Nissan Leaf will initially be produced in Spain, starting in 2013, but a North American version is likely to follow, company sources told TheDetroitBureau.com, citing comments made by CEO Carlos Ghosn last month that the maker expects to offer an electric version of its so-called “Cab of Tomorrow” for New York City.
Nissan will invest 100 million Euros, the equivalent of about $126 million, to add production of the e-NV200 at an assembly plant in Barcelona, adding 700 jobs in the process.
“The new model will offer all the spaciousness, versatility and practicality of a traditionally powered compact van, but with zero CO2 emission at the point of use and also provide an outstanding driving experience that is unique to EV’s,” said Executive Vice President Andy Palmer, who oversees the maker’s battery-car program. “Crucially, it will also offer class-leading running and maintenance costs, which makes it an exceptionally attractive proposition to both businesses and families.”
Like the Nissan Leaf, the e-NV200 is expected to deliver around 100 miles per charge under optimum conditions and charge times should also be similar to Leaf. It is unclear whether Nissan will launch the battery van with the higher-power charger it has promised – but not yet delivered – on the Leaf. Since most of Europe operates on 220 volts, that could bring charging times down to as little as four hours or less.
Pricing has not yet been released, though as with other battery-powered versions of conventional vehicles – such as the Ford Focus Electric – the e-NV200 should carry a significant premium over the roughly $26,000 base price of a gas-powered Nissan NV van.
Nissan has not disclosed how many of the new battery vans it will produce. But while the breaking news focuses on Spain and Europe it is likely to impact North America – and New York City in particular – in short order.
CEO Ghosn revealed in April that Nissan plans to field a small number of battery-powered taxis to join the larger, gas-powered fleet it has been authorized to produce by the Big Apple’s taxi commission. They are likely to feature many of the same attributes that helped Nissan win a three-way shoot-out for the Taxi of Tomorrow competition, including a spacious cabin with a glass roof, separate climate controls for passengers and even a carbon filtration system to improve sanitation and remove odors.
That model, according to company sources, would almost certainly be produced on the same line as the NV200 taxi, in Cuernevaca, Mexico, with the launch to follow a year or more behind the e-NV200 in Europe.
Whether Nissan will also make a version available for North American consumer and fleet customers beyond the NY cab market remains to be seen.
Batteries would likely be supplied from an all-new plant next to the Nissan assembly line in Smyrna, Tennessee, according to Nissan insiders.
The primary outlet for that battery plant, however, will be the new Leaf assembly line that will also go into Smyrna, with production scheduled to start in December 2012.
U.S. sales of the Nissan Leaf have tumbled sharply in recent months but company officials insist that is due to limited supply as they divert Japanese-made versions of the battery car to other markets now just beginning to sell the Leaf.
Nissan is just one of a number of manufacturers who see a potentially strong market for battery vans. But several competitors have run into financial hurdles, including Ford, who saw production of its Transit Connect Electric halted by the bankruptcy of Azure Dynamics. The Canadian-based firm had been providing the driveline for the battery van and overseeing its conversion from a conventionally-powered Transit Connect.