Citroen launches a new Zero Emissions vehicle this time, the Berlingo Multispace.

As the benchmark leisure activity vehicle for over 20 years, the Citroën Berlingo has consistently exceeded the expectations of its customers. The new E-Berlingo Multispace keeps all of the original car’s practicality and modular design, and adds the efficiency and driving pleasure of an electric vehicle. 

With a range of up to 106 miles, the new model meets the needs of private customers and businesses alike, with easy charging and all the benefits of electric mobility. 

The Citroën Berlingo passenger car is now available with an electric drivetrain, in the form of the E-Berlingo Multispace. The new model offers a refined, zero-emission driving experience and sets new standards in the sector for peace-of-mind and ease of use. 

This new addition to the Berlingo Multispace range retains the versatile design, space, comfort and essential equipment that has made the conventionally-powered models such a benchmark in the leisure activity vehicle segment. The new E-Berlingo Multispace extends Citroën’s electric vehicle range, which already includes the C-Zero, E-Mehari* and Berlingo Electric LCV.

Powered by a compact and high-performance permanent magnet synchronous motor, the new vehicle accelerates swiftly and smoothly. The refined and comfortable ride of this versatile car is designed to meet the demands of active families, whilst adding all the advantages of an electric drivetrain. 

The new vehicle’s lithium-ion battery packs are positioned in the subframe either side of the rear axle, which means the cabin layout and boot volume are retained. The E-Berlingo Multispace is fully adaptable and boasts a modular design that can accommodate up to five people, or larger loads when the seats in row 2 are folded away. The boot volume is amongst the best in class at 675 litres with five people on-board, increasing to 3,000 litres with the row 2 seats folded away. The row 2 seats can also be removed completely to create a fully flat load area. 

Access to the vehicle couldn’t be simpler with two sliding side doors, plus a large rear tailgate. The tailgate has an window that opens independently, making loading the boot easier in confined spaces.

The E-Berlingo is perfect for urban and suburban use, and professional applications where there is easy access to charging points. The new model offers all the benefits associated with a 100% electric vehicle, including enviromental advantages, low runnning costs, plus taxation and parking benefits. The new E-Berlingo Multispace is equipped with the same proven electric drivetrain as the Berlingo Electric LCV, which is already in service with numerous fleet customers across Europe. 

With a range of 106 miles, measured on the NEDC cycle, the E-Berlingo Multispace is perfectly adapted to consumer use – the majority of European motorists drive less than 60 miles each day.

The E-Berlingo Multispace can be re-charged to 50% of its total range in 15 minutes or to 80% of capacity in 30 minutes from a dedicated rapid charge point. This uses the vehicle’s D/C rapid charging port (CHAdeMO). The standard charge time is 8 hours using the 16 A, Type 2 cable or as little as 10 hours from a domestic 3-pin socket. The motor also provides regenerative braking when the vehicle is slowing down, helping to re-charge the batteries and reduce brake wear.

The new E-Berlingo Multispace develops 67hp (49kW) and has 200Nm of torque immediately available. The two high-capacity lithium-ion battery packs, with a combined rating of 22.5kWh, lower the car’s centre of gravity for even more dynamic stability.

For an even more user-friendly experience, the new E-Berlingo Multispace comes with remote-controlled functions for use via a smartphone. These functions include a facility that allows the driver to pre-heat or cool the interior prior to accessing the vehicle. The driver can also remotely check their car’s battery charge level.

There is also an innovative eco-driving assistance programme, which helps the driver adopt the most economical driving style to optimise range. The navigation system displays speed limits and traffic information, as well as charging points that can be reached by the vehicle based on the remaining range.

The new Citroën E-Berlingo Multispace has significantly lower running costs than an equivalent petrol or diesel powered Berlingo Multispace. The traction battery is included in the purchase price of the vehicle and offers peace-of-mind with an 8-year/60,000 mile warranty. 

Available equipment includes air conditioning, parking sensors, speed limiter, tyre pressure monitoring, electronic stability control (ESC) combined with Hill-Start Assist and a 7-inch touchscreen. The E-Berlingo Multispace also features the Citroën brand’s highly-regarded in-car connectivity, with Bluetooth® and Mirror Screen technology.

The new E-Berlingo Multispace will be assembled at the Vigo production site and will go ‘on sale’ in the UK during the third quarter of 2017.

The trailblazing Nissan e-NV200 all-electric van has been named LCV of the year.

The trailblazing Nissan e-NV200 all-electric van has been named LCV of the year in the highly regarded Next Green Car Awards 2014.

The coveted title, presented as part of the most scientifically-based green automotive awards in the UK, recognises both the innovative nature of the e-NV200 and its low emissions, low cost appeal.

Expert judges from Next Green Car – the UK’s leading green car website – were impressed by the model’s ability to challenge the domination of the combustion engine in the light commercials sector.

Dr Ben Lane, Managing Editor of Next Green Car, said: “Nissan has broken new ground offering an affordable and practical zero-emission alternative to the ubiquitous diesel van.”

Paul O’Neill, EV Category Manager at Nissan Motor (GB), said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won this award as it’s based on scientific fact rather than subjective opinion.

“Both the award and the impressive Next Green Car Rating given to the e-NV200 are a ringing endorsement of the model’s impressive environmental credentials.

“Combine that with levels of versatility, durability and all-round performance that are more than a match for any other van of this size and low running and whole-life costs and it’s easy to see how the Nissan e-NV200 has the potential to redefine the LCV market.”

Despite boasting a hefty 703kg payload and enough room for two Euro pallets, the e-NV200 still costs just two pence per mile to run and offers business van users greatly reduced whole-life costs.

Using proven technology from the British-built Nissan LEAF – the world’s bestselling all-electric car – the model can travel 106 miles on a single charge and can be charged from zero to 80% in as little as 30 minutes.

In addition to low running costs and emissions, users will also benefit from greatly reduced maintenance bills that make for unrivalled total cost of ownership - £1,200 lower than a conventional diesel van over four years. Meanwhile, the van’s unique driving experience, with an absence of cabin vibration, helps to minimise driver fatigue.

The Nissan e-NV200 is on sale now at dealers nationwide, priced from £13,393.

Nissan launches, possibly the best van in the world, certainly the cheapest for running costs.

THE BEST OF THE BEST

Take the finest elements from two award-winning vehicles, add some Nissan know-how and the result is a genuine game-changer

• e-NV200 brings Nissan’s global EV leadership into the LCV market
• e-NV200 combines class-leading cargo volume with…
• … award winning zero-emission technology…
• … 40% lower servicing costs and up to four times cheaper to fuel than diesel vehicles
• … and results in a practical and sustainable city delivery vehicle
• Highlights include:
• Vibration-free, emission-free, noise-free drivetrain
• Practical 106 mile range, 76mph maximum speed
• Built in Europe, available as LCV or five-seat passenger car

Nissan’s zero-emission revolution is entering its next important phase with the launch of e-NV200, the company’s second 100 percent electric vehicle.

Launched at a time when air quality in city centres is taking on even greater significance, e-NV200 promises emission-free running thanks to its advanced battery-powered electric motor. As a commercial vehicle the e-NV200 promises to take on an even greater role in reducing emissions and improving air quality as it operates day and night with van and taxi fleets in city centres.

As well as producing no tail-pipe pollution at all – and thus having a hugely positive effect on city centre NOx levels – e-NV200’s electric motor produces no noise while its smooth, gear-change-free drivetrain means a less stressed, more relaxed and therefore safer driver.

The Nissan e-NV200 combines the award-winning electric drivetrain from Nissan LEAF, 2011 World Car of the Year, with the best-in-class cargo volume and practicality of the Nissan NV200, 2010 International Van of the Year.

But e-NV200 is far more than a simple conversion of an existing conventionally powered vehicle.

In creating its first pure electric LCV, Nissan has significantly re-engineered and re-styled NV200 for its new role. And although it does use a number of key elements from LEAF and NV200, some 30 percent of its components are unique to e-NV200. There are styling changes, a re-engineered chassis, interior revision, a new battery pack and a higher capacity regenerative braking system.

The result is a range of zero-emission vehicles that are capable of making a significant contribution not only to future mobility but also to the business model of any company using small vans, people movers or taxis.  For as well as being an exciting vehicle to drive, e-NV200 will be cost effective to run and, just as importantly, its sustainability will reflect positively on any operator’s business decision.

After an exhaustive testing programme, which included providing globally recognised companies with prototype vehicles to provide feedback in real world usage, e-NV200 is now ready to come to market.

When sales start in June, e-NV200 will be available as a compact but capacious and practical van or as a five-seat passenger vehicle in Combi or more luxurious Evalia versions (Evalia not offered in the UK). The LCV version has a cargo volume of 4.2m³ and can carry two standard Euro pallets, while sliding side doors on both sides and wide opening rear doors – a top hinged single rear door is also available – ensure that loading and unloading is as easy as possible.

Running costs are the number one priority for most fleet operators and the e-NV200 has been developed to help the business equation. Planned maintenance costs are 40 percent lower and without engine oil, belts, gearbox or clutch there are fewer parts to be checked or replaced. Fuel costs are also significantly lower, with diesel costing three or four times as much as electricity for 100 km of driving.

In the coming year there will also be dedicated taxi versions of e-NV200 on the market, a vehicle built to comply with specific, and invariably different, regulations in capital cities. The first European city to adopt e-NV200 as part of its taxi fleet will be the vehicle’s home city of Barcelona, Spain.

In fact, e-NV200 is built exclusively in Barcelona for global sale. It will be produced in Spain alongside NV200, using lithium-ion battery cells produced at Nissan’s battery plant in Sunderland, UK. The battery packs themselves are made in Barcelona to a unique design for e-NV200.

The Nissan e-NV200 is perfectly suited to a working life in the UK’s cities and towns. It has a range a homologated NEDC range of 106 miles – considerably more than the average 100 km daily driving distance of 70 percent of the fleets using compact vans in their businesses. In Europe 35 percent of this category of van never travel more than 120 km in the life of the van.

All of this capability is complemented by a cargo area which is identical to NV200 at 4.2 cubic metres and the payload capacity is even greater than its diesel cousin with up to 770 kg possible.

The battery can be recharged overnight in 8 hours using a domestic 16-amp single-phase 3.3 kW charger – perfect if e-NV200 is not operating around the clock – but this time reduces to just four hours if the optional 6.6kW/32-amp charger is fitted and a suitable supply is used.

Alternatively, a dedicated CHAdeMO DC 50 kW quick charger can recharge the battery to 80 percent capacity in as little as 30 minutes or less if the battery still holds some charge, meaning that e-NV200 can be charged while it is being loaded with goods for another delivery, for example.

More than 1,100 CHAdeMO quick chargers available to the public have been installed across Europe, with 220 of those in the UK. It is expected that e-NV200 fleet operators will install their own quick chargers at their place of business or works depots. Taxi companies including Taxi Electric in the Netherlands and C&C Taxis in the UK have installed quick chargers at their depots to increase fleet utilisation.

“The engineering changes we have made have produced much more than a good electric van… it is a fantastic van by any standards. Drivers will want to get behind the wheel of e-NV200 not just because it produces no emissions, but also because it is so good to drive – the ride comfort, the acceleration, the refinement and the ease of use are all far ahead of what they are used to,” said Guillaume Carter, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing for Nissan Europe.

“There is change in the air,” said Jean-Pierre Diernaz, Director of Electric Vehicles for Nissan Europe. “Europe’s cities are introducing ever stringent restrictions on emissions. London already has a congestion charge zone based on emissions while the city’s Mayor is preparing for the introduction of an Ultra Low Emission Zone by 2020.

“Paris has this year prevented vehicles driving into its centre in a bid to cut pollution. Diesels, meanwhile, are coming under increased scrutiny for their NOx and particulate emissions.

“As the growth in sales of Nissan LEAF proves, this is the time of the zero-emission vehicle. Nissan e-NV200 takes us into a completely different market segment and will help cement our position as the global leader in electric vehicle technology.

“We believe e-NV200 will genuinely change the make-up of light van and taxi fleets as well as changing the environment in the heart of our cities. All of the 200,000 vans sold per year which never cover more than 100 km a day in their lifetime, could be replaced by e-NV200 without ever needing to stop to refuel during their working day. This simple fact, combined with the low running costs, capabilities and comfort make this a truly game-changing vehicle,” added Diernaz.