FIFTY Nissan e-NV200 electric vans are being sent to DHL in Italy after a collaborative agreement was signed by Nissan Italia and the delivery firm for zero-emission operations.
The all-electric vans have started arriving and will be used for dispatches and deliveries in the Mediterranean country, beginning in Milan and Rome. Florence, Verona, Bologna, Naples, Salerno, Bari and Catania will follow suit in introducing e-NV200 to the fleets there.
Bruno Mattucci, Managing Director of Nissan Italia, said: “The start of deliveries of the first e-NV200s is a further demonstration of Nissan’s commitment to spreading use of electric mobility throughout Italy.”
And Alberto Nobis, Managing Director of DHL Express Italia, said: “The agreement with Nissan is perfectly in line with the commitment we have been pursuing for years to the environment.
“Use of these innovative zero-impact vans is another part of the global GoGreen programme designed by Deutsche Post DHL to lower the Group’s worldwide CO2 emissions by 30 per cent by 2020. Moreover, the Nissan vehicles will help us to implement a sustainable City Logistics strategy, as they are also particularly well suited to making deliveries in historic centres.”
Nissan has more electric vehicles on the road than any other manufacturer. The e-NV200 was launched last year and shares much of its technology with the award-winning Nissan LEAF, the best-selling electric car globally and in Europe.
In a simulation of daily use in the Rome area, the van completed 45 deliveries and made 25 collections, entirely in line with the daily workload of a traditional vehicle, travelling approximately 120 km – well within the 170 km official range. Research shows that 70 per cent of European van operators average less than 100 km per day, while 35 per cent never exceed 120 km.
The emissions-free e-NV200 is ideal for use in city urban centres, where access is prohibited to vehicles with diesel engines.