Nissan will roll out a new electric van concept at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, one that it believes will help solve urban delivery congestion.
The e-NV200 Fridge Concept adds a refrigerated compartment to the existing e-NV200 electric small delivery van to keep various perishable goods fresh while in transit.
The brand says the e-NV200's size will make urban deliveries easier, since larger refrigerated delivery trucks are sometimes banned from stopping and parking in inner cities.
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Although it's a concept vehicle, Nissan's language alludes to a production version of the e-NV200 Fridge Concept.
The vehicle itself is quite familiar; the concept mimics the production e-NV200, which will use the 2018 Leaf's 40-kilowatt-hour battery pack for the 2018 model year. An additional battery pack mounted in the cargo area powers the refrigeration unit.
Oddly, Nissan's press material says a 24-kwh battery pack powers the e-NV200 Fridge Concept, while a 12-kwh battery sits in the cargo area for the refrigeration unit.
2018 Nissan e-NV200 electric delivery van (European version)
The brand did not provide range estimates for the concept.
The previous e-NV200 with a 24-kwh pack was rated at 170 km (106 miles) on the lenient NEDC cycle, but a comparable U.S. figure might have been as low as 70 miles.
North Americans may not be aware of the e-NV200, since Nissan does not sell the electrified version of its small delivery van in the U.S. or Canada.
READ THIS: Driving Nissan e-NV200 All-Electric Small Commercial Van
Nissan only sells the all-electric small delivery van in Europe and Japan and it has no plans to import the van to North America.
Sales of smaller commercial vehicles in the United States lag those in European and Asian countries, where they are the dominant delivery vehicles and more appropriate for smaller, narrower urban raods.
Nissan has tested the e-NV200 for North American deployment in the past, specifically with FedEx.
2018 Nissan e-NV200 electric delivery van (European version)
As regulations call for more zero-emission vehicles, and countries move forward with plans to ban the sale of vehicles powered by internal-combustion engines, electric delivery vehicles will likely become more common.
"Last-mile" vehicles that carry parcels and other goods to their final destination will become most prevalent since they do not require particularly long ranges.
CHECK OUT: Nissan e-NV200 Electric Van Headed To U.S. For Testing
Long-distance commercial vehicles will likely be electrified powertrains' final frontier because they require much longer ranges.
As California mulls its own ban on fossil-fuel-powered vehicles, however, perhaps there's a future for the e-NV200 in the U.S.—sooner or later.
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