While powertrain electrification is
making clear headway in the automotive world, its take-up with light commercial
vehicle manufacturers remains sluggish – despite the obvious benefits that the
technology promises
Nissan e-NV200
For light commercial vehicles operating in
an urban environment, full electric or hybrid drives make a lot of sense,
perhaps even more so than when the technology is used in passenger car
applications. Vans that work in inner city areas are subjected to constant
stop/start driving, which helps with regeneration; low daily mileages that
prevent range anxiety; and having to return each and every night to a central
base enables the installation of a permanent charging infrastructure.
e-NV200
is easy to drive with a tight turning circle and significant payload; the same
as the current NV200. There are no compromises just advantages of going
electric.
Yet while the automotive industry is seeing
a rapidly increasing number of electric and hybrid power systems in the car
market, the van sector – despite the obvious benefits to be had from powertrain
electrification – is trailing some way behind. One reason for this slow
response is that there just isn’t enough demand from customers to make full-scale
electric van production a viable proposition for the manufacturers.
This is in part due to a lack of government
incentive across Europe and North America. In the UK, for example, the
authorities offered electric car buyers a plug-in grant to reduce by up to 25%
the additional cost of an EV compared with a petrol or diesel engined model,
but until recently this scheme was not available for van buyers. There is,
however, now a plug-in van grant in place, offering up to 20% off the purchase
price, to a maximum of US$13,500.
Inside,
the Nissan e-NV200 Concept interior depicts a clean, modern Nissan EV identity
through use of the EV meters, blue colored accents and bright interior color
palette, while also retaining the NV200′s strong functional feeling.
But just as important as the up-front cost,
another reason for the slow uptake relates to weight and space, two core
aspects that hit far harder in the commercial vehicle world than in automotive
circles, with van operators using light commercials to carry loads. Given that
vans fall into defined gross-weight classes, adding batteries and additional
driveline components such as electric motors can result in a reduction in load
weight or volume, which for most fleet operators is a no-no. And while it may
be possible to simply increase the weight of an electric car, such a scenario
often isn’t feasible with vans.
But that’s not to say that electric vans
aren’t starting to make an impact. Renault is perhaps the most active
manufacturer in the European van market, with its Kangoo ZE range, and there
are models available from Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Citroën, Iveco and now
Nissan. At present, the only full hybrid LCV from a major manufacturer is the
Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid truck, although at 7.5 metric tons, it is perhaps
stretching the term ‘light commercial’ just a little.
Leaf Appeal
The latest addition to the electric van
market is Nissan’s e-NV200, which combines the van body of the regular NV200
with the driveline and front suspension from the all-electric Leaf passenger
car. This brings together an 80kW AC synchronous electric motor with 254Nm of
torque and a 48-module lithium-ion battery, with a nominal capacity of 24kWh.
A
smoother, quieter, more comfortable ride. On board, off-grid power supply. 24hr
hour connectivity, instant cruise display and advanced telematics. All of this
comes with individual aerodynamic styling, dual glass roof panel and unique
aluminium-alloy wheels.
For its all-new electric van, Nissan
powertrain engineers have combined the charger and inverter with the drive
motor in a single stack, which is similar in size to the standard van’s diesel
engine. Such an arrangement means that the driveline stack can be installed
beneath the hood, without affecting the van’s load volume at the rear. Despite
the battery pack weighing 267.5kg, the e-NV200 retains a competitive 703kg
payload.
Cooled air from the van’s HVAC system is
channelled Nissan offers three charging solutions for its electric workhorse,
from a domestic 10A supply that takes all night, to a 16A charger spanning
eight hours. There is also the option of a 6.6kW onboard charger, which means
that a 32A power supply can halve the charge time to just four hours. In
addition, a CHAdeMO rapid charger can be used to boost battery power to 80% in
just 30 minutes. There are currently 1,100 of these fast chargers across
Europe, although this number is growing rapidly over the pack to ensure an
optimum operating temperature, with hot air from the cab heater being used in
colder weather.
