A FedEx Express courier drove the Nissan battery powered zero emission e-NV200 prototype van to British Red Cross’s Headquarters in London delivering donations from Nissan employees and a corporate philanthropic donation from FedEx Express.
This last journey marked the end of the UK’s first trial of a Nissan electric van, which had seen the e-NV200 put to work as one of FedEx’s courier vehicles.
The model is based on the NV200 van and uses technology developed for the Nissan Leaf electric car.
As a final farewell to the first road trials, many employees from the Cranfield-based Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE)- who provided technical support for the e-NV200 prototype trial-participated in an annual fund-raising activity for the British Red Cross Disaster Fund. To make the occasion more memorable, the delivery of the donation became the final job for the Fed Ex electric van. As a sign of firm solidarity and responsible corporate citizenship, FedEx Express matched the Nissan employees’ donation and then elivered both donations.
“Today we are proudly handing over a collection of donations amassed by our employees in support of the British Red Cross. We are delighted our donation has been matched by FedEx Express, our partners in this trial,” remarked Graeme Burn, Senior Engineer NTCE Powertrain Development, “Collaboration with FedEx Express on environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility fronts demonstrates the positive impact of cross sector collaboration. Our work with them on the vehicle trial has been engaging, robust and forward thinking. I would also like thank our employees for their generosity and continuous support of our company’s corporate citizenship values.”
The e-NV200 uses a lithium-ion battery teamed with a 80kW AC synchronous motor that generates 280Nm of torque. The current prototype model can be recharged overnight or up to 80 per cent capacity in just 30 minutes using a quick charger. The driving range is similar to the Leaf (around 90 miles) while the payload and cargo are also around the same as the combustion NV200.
