Deliveries have now begun of 50 Nissan e-NV200 electric vans to DHL in Italy, following the collaboration framework agreement signed by Nissan Italia and DHL Express for zero emission operations last July. These all-electric vans will be used for dispatches and deliveries in Italy starting in Milan and Rome.

The e-NV200 was launched in 2014 and shares much of its technology with the award-winning Nissan Leaf, the best-selling electric car globally and in Europe.

"The start of deliveries of the first e-NV200s, which will be used for deliveries starting from the major Italian cities of Milan and Rome, is a further demonstration of Nissan's commitment to spreading use of electric mobility throughout Italy," said Bruno Mattucci, managing director of Nissan Italia.

"The agreement with Nissan is perfectly in line with the commitment we have been pursuing for years to the environment," added Alberto Nobis, managing director of DHL Express Italia. "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 percent by 2020. Moreover, the Nissan Vehicles us to implement a sustainable city logistics strategy, as they are also particularly well suited to making deliveries in historic centres."

The e-NV200 has been tested by many organisations and fleets globally. In a simulated daily use in the area of Rome, the Nissan van completed 45 deliveries and made 25 collections, entirely in line with the daily workload of a traditional vehicle, travelling approximately 120km and without running down the batteries, well within the vehicle’s 170km official range. Research shows that 70 percent of European van operators average less than 100km per day, while 35 percent never exceed 120km. Florence, Verona, Bologna, Naples, Salerno, Bari and Catania will join Rome and Milan in introducing e-NV200 to the fleets there.

The e-NV200 is ideal for operations in the urban centres of the cities, where access is prohibited to vehicles with diesel engines but also offers considerable savings on running costs with respect to a comparable diesel van, driver comfort due to a silent engine, no gear changes and brisk acceleration.

Equipped with an electric motor derived from the Nissan Leaf, with batteries that can be recharged to 0-80 percent in less than 30 minutes, using the CHAdeMO quick charging system, the e-NV200 is an externally compact vehicle but with transport capacity that is right at the top of its range. The van features a load bay of 4.2 m³, the equivalent of two Euro pallets, with a useful capacity of 770kg. The battery pack, situated under the floor panel, does not intrude into the load area and keeps the centre of gravity very low.