Nissan Townstar EV
Nissan’s compact electric van leads the way, says John Kendall
Nissan Townstar EV
Nissan’s compact electric van leads the way, says John Kendall
Nissan Townstar, along with its Renault Kangoo and Mercedes-Benz Citan cousins, won the Great British Fleet Award for compact high cube van earlier this year. So it comes as no surprise that the electric version has impressed us. It was designed from the ground up with an electric power option, so the positioning of batteries and vital components were all considered at the planning stage.
There’s a broad model range, including L1 and longer L2 models. Electric variants are available in both lengths and as an L2 Crew Van; an option not available with petrol variants. There is no diesel version.
As tested, our van was ply-lined and came with the expected lashing eyes in the floor and full-height steel bulkhead. Sliding doors each side improve load area access, regardless of which side of the road the vehicle is parked.
There’s a neat, removable phone holder in the cab, which could be fitted either side of the instrument console. This is not to encourage the use of mobile phones while driving. Using the entry-level Visia grade, which is not supplied with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, where drivers may use their phones for navigation and this would allow them to do so.
With a range of 183 miles, the Townstar is well set up for local running, while the standard rapid charger with the Tekna+ variant means it can be rapid-charged to extend range with up to 80% charge in around 40 minutes.
We put it to the test helping to clear a small flat, which the Townstar managed very ably. We did need to charge on the road though and that’s where the built-in navigation fell a bit flat. Having warned us that we would need to recharge to complete the journey, it came up with some odd choices as recharging points, one of which built in a 10-mile detour to our route.
The obvious recharging point, Solstice Services on the A303 near Stonehenge, which has a relatively new Gridserve charging station, did not feature. It’s a lesson to not be too reliant on navigation, particularly if you happen to know the area. Map databases are updated frequently, but not always frequently enough for our expanding charger network.
However, none of this has much to do with what the Townstar is like to drive and live with. It is a very pleasant vehicle to spend time in, offering very low noise levels, without rattles and squeaks. It drives well and like all electric vehicles, it’s easy to drive. It offers selectable regenerative braking, almost essential in a load-carrying vehicle, giving the opportunity to extend range and reduce brake wear. Not all drivers will be offered the features of the Tekna+ spec. Our view is that essentials for an electric van include regenerative braking, speed limiter and cruise control to get the most from the available range. Increasingly we would say that a reversing camera is also a benefit because of the reduced accident risk that comes with it.
Which model is right for you?
Our test was supplied in range-topping Tekna+ specification, which adds almost £5,000 to the price of the entry-level Visia trim. Along the way there are Acenta and Tekna too, giving customers plenty of choice and a range of prices. We suspect that the Acenta specification, which starts from £31,550 (after PiVG, ex-VAT) will prove to be a fleet favourite. It comes with nearside and offside side loading doors, reverse parking sensors, cruise control, automatic climate control, 8-inch colour screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 22kW on-board charger and LED front fog lights amongst other options. By the time you get to our Tekna+ grade, you can include intelligent 360° view monitor, intelligent park assist, intelligent blind spot intervention, intelligent cruise control, lane keeping assist, traffic sign recognition, auto high/low beam and heated steering wheel, while L1 models get 16-inch alloy wheels.
