The all-electric Nissan e-NV200 has joined Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council’s fleet and is being used on a wide range of community focused projects.

It’s one of the first 100% electric vehicles on the council’s 69-strong fleet, which includes everything from small city cars to minibuses and an
18-tonne tanker.

Solihull’s Neighbourhood Services team co-ordinates and delivers projects that enhance and enrich communities right across the borough – everything from park improvements to sporting initiatives for teenagers.

Team members used to operate a standard diesel Vauxhall panel van, but needed a second row of seats to accommodate apprentices and volunteers as well as a large, but not excessive, load area.

Councillor Tony Dicicco, cabinet member for environment, housing and regeneration, said: “The e-NV200 has shown us just how electric vehicles can work for us.

“From our perspective, the technology has come so far that every time a department has a need for a new vehicle or a lease comes up for renewal we’ll be looking to see if there’s a viable electric option.”

He added: “In addition to our clean-air responsibilities, it’s important that we as a council also do what we can to reduce the number of large vehicles on our roads.

“The e-NV200 is just the right size for us, giving the team all the room they need to transport people and tools while saving on fuel bills.”

Launched last year, the Nissan e-NV200 combines the NV200 – a former International Van of the Year – with the proven technology of the Nissan Leaf.

Available in panel van or five or seven-seat Combi form, it costs just two pence per mile to run and users also benefit from low maintenance costs that make for unrivalled total cost of ownership – £1,200 lower than a conventional diesel van over four years, says Nissan.

It can cover up to 106 miles on a single charge and can be charged from zero to 100% in just 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, the model, which is priced from £13,568 in panel van form (incorporating Government Plug-In Van Grant) offers a 4.2m3 capacity and a 703kg payload.