Nissan has started producing its second electric vehicle, the e-NV200, at the Barcelona plant in Spain, which is the only facility worldwide to produce the electric van.

Available both as a passenger vehicle and light commercial van, the e-NV200 will also have a taxi version, including for Barcelona. Nissan has invested €100 million ($139 million) for e-NV200 production in Barcelona, as part of a wider €431 million investment in its Spanish operations.

Nissan says the e-NV200 will initially be exported to around 20 international markets, including Japan. The number of markets will grow after the initial launch. The first vehicles exported to the initial 20 markets will be shipped in June.

The e-NV200 combines the all-electric, battery-powered drivetrain from the Nissan Leaf with the cargo volume from the NV200, delivering a 170km (105.6 miles) NEDC homologated driving range.

The electric van is powered by an 80kW (107.2HP) AC synchronous motor, fully integrated with the battery charger and inverter in one compact, self-contained unit. Compared to the Leaf, the Lithium-ion battery has been changed to allow it to fit under e-NV200’s floor without compromising the cargo area. The battery has the same number of modules (48) as in the Leaf and the same 24kWh capacity, but is packaged differently.

Charging time takes a night using a domestic 16-amp single-phase 3.3 kW supply, but it is reduced to four hours if a 6.6kW/32-amp supply is used. A dedicated CHAdeMO DC 50 kW quick charger can recharge the battery from 0-80 percent in just 30 minutes.​

By Dan Mihalascu

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