FedEx Express expands Nissan electric vehicle trial
FedEx Express is expanding its electric vehicle trials with Nissan to include testing in Singapore, Brazil and the United States. The two companies have been working together for nearly two years to test out the e-NV200 in real world conditions, in London and Yokohama, Japan.
The latest expansion will also see Nissan and FedEx continuing their collaborative research and development work on urban parcel delivery vehicles and related software.
Nissan said it is currently in the final development stage of the e-NV200, which will go into mass production in Barcelona in late 2013.
The vehicle will be the manufacturer’s second all-electric vehicle to go into mass production, following the high profile LEAF, on which the e-NV200’s drivetrain is based.
Nissan is promising “exceptionally smooth” acceleration and quietness for its new light commercial vehicle, with quick-charging capabilities, “class-leading” cargo volume and zero tailpipe emissions. Charging for the vehicle is expected to take as little as 30 minutes for the battery to reach 80% capacity, but the vehicle can be fully recharged overnight.
Nissan said its goal is for the electric vehicle to become the industry benchmark.
“The e-NV200 will offer all the spaciousness, versatility and practicality of a traditional diesel or gas-powered compact van, but with zero CO2 or other pollutant emissions at the point of use,” said Hideto Murakami, the Nissan Motor Co. Ltd corporate vice president.
The Japanese company said FedEx Express was ideal as a research and development partner because it already operates 130 all-electric vehicles around the world.
FedEx, which also has 364 hybrid-electric vehicles in its fleet, has improved its vehicle fuel efficiency by 16.6% since 2005. It has targets to reach a 20% improvement by 2020.
Russell Musgrove, the FedEx Express managing director for global vehicles, said working with Nissan on the development of an urban all-electric delivery van was part of his company’s efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce its environmental impact.
He said: “As a global fleet operator, FedEx Express is always looking for measures to improve the efficiency of its vehicles.”
