Portland, Ore is the proving ground for Nissan’s prototype electric commercial vehicle – the Nissan e-NV200, the company announced last week.
Nissan is working in collaboration with Portland General Electric (PGE) on a six-week trial to help determine the viability of an electric commercial vehicle in the U.S. market. PGE has assigned the e-NV200 into its fleet of vehicles with an underground crew, replacing a larger, diesel-powered van.
“Oregon has been a top five market for Nissan LEAF sales in the U.S. due to proactive policies at the state level to encourage EV adoption, as well as robust charging infrastructure championed by the state and others like PGE,” said Toby Perry, Nissan’s director of EV Marketing in the U.S. “If we determine that e-NV200 fits into the U.S. commercial vehicle market, we expect that Portland would be a leading driver for sales as well.”
Sales of Nissan’s all-electric LEAF are poised to accelerate further in Portland. Portland is one of the first markets to receive Nissan’s “No Charge to Charge” promotion, which provides two years of no-cost public charging to customers who purchase or lease a new Nissan LEAF beginning April 1, 2014.
This year, Nissan is deploying two e-NV200 prototypes with companies such as PGE and FedEx in top U.S. EV markets including California, Georgia, Oregon and Washington, D.C. to determine how businesses could use an all-electric cargo van to meet their day-to-day requirements.
“EVs have already demonstrated their value as a sustainable choice for personal use, and fleet electrification is the logical next step,” said Charlie Allcock, director, business development at PGE. Nissan e-NV200 goes on sale this summer in Europe and later this year in Japan.
With nearly 120,000 global sales since launch, Nissan LEAF is the world's top-selling electric vehicle. LEAF seats up to five passengers and boasts an estimated driving range on a fully-charged battery of 84 miles and MPGe ratings of 126 city, 101 highway and 114 combined.