Nissan electric van to be built in Spain
Japanese automaker Nissan’s new e-NV200 model in their plant in Barcelona on May 23, 2012. The e-NV200 will become Nissan’s second all-electric vehicle (EV) and will be produced at the Barcelona plant exclusively.
Nissan announced their plans to produce an all-electric version of its NV200 cargo van at its assembly plant in Barcelona, Spain beginning in 2013.
This will be the company’s second electric vehicle after Leaf, a compact car currently on the market.
Forbes.com reported that Nissan will leverage the Leaf’s existing electric powertrain. With this the new cargo van will get similar gas mileage which Nissan claims hovers around 100 miles on a charge and achieve a similar equivalent to its EPA-certified 106 mpg in city driving.
Nissan’s executive vice-president Andy Palmer called the new NV2000 a genuine breakthrough for commercial vehicles. “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," Palmer told Forbes.
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Bloomberg noted with the new car development, Nissan Motor Co., Japan’s second- biggest carmaker, will be making a $127 million dollar investment at its Barcelona plant. This will also create 700 new jobs.
Palmer also noted that beyond saving on gas money, families and businesses will save on maintenance. "Crucially, it will also offer class-leading running and maintenance costs," he noted, "which makes it an exceptionally attractive proposition to both businesses and families," Palmer told the Christian Science Monitor.
Forbes also reported on the cost-effectiveness of the new electric vehicle pointing out that they don’t need oil changes, cooling system flushes or transmission servicing and there’s no air filter, spark plugs or drive belts to replace. They added, "There’s also a $7,500 federal income tax credit offered to EV buyers to help make them more affordable, and large cities could well offer generous incentives of their own to help local firms put more zero-emissions trucks into service as a way of improving air quality."
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