100% Electric Nissan e-NV200 Returns Iconic Harrods Delivery Fleet In London To Its Early Electric Roots

March 31st, 2017 by Cynthia Shahan

Do you ever wonder what shape the world might be in if electric cars had not been replaced by gas cars so long ago? It has been over 100 years after the legendary London department store Harrods first added an electric van to its fleet. Harrods is now returning to electric vehicle technology. The company has selected the 100% electric Nissan e-NV200 delivery van as the latest addition to its delivery fleet.

It’s a nice note to environmental improvement to return the British department store to the list of European businesses adding zero-emission vehicles to their fleets, the Nissan e-NV200 being the #1 choice for such purposes. Actually, more than 27,000 Nissan electric vehicles have been sold to businesses across Europe so far.

Back to the history: “In 1919, the store used solid-tired American Walker electric vans, later building its own fleet of 60 electric vehicles to deliver goods to local London customers. As petrol engines became more popular, the electric vans were slowly phased out. However, with the introduction and development of new infrastructure and technology, Nissan has enabled Harrods to have an all-electric van on its fleet once again.”

Nissan reports that the Nissan e-NV200 electric van arrived at Harrods outside its luxury Knightsbridge store the last week of March. Here are more details from Nissan:

“The Nissan e-NV200 has been specially adapted to perfectly fit Harrods’ delivery needs. The load space of the van has been fully refrigerated and shelving units added to allow for fresh groceries to be transported in optimum condition. The exterior has also been wrapped in the traditional green and gold Harrods livery to make it recognizable as it travels around the city.

“The e-NV200 has a range of up to 170 km on a single charge*, which means it is easily capable of making up to 50 deliveries per week covering an average distance of 241 km in the London area with Harrods only needing to charge it once a week.

“With an average running cost of as little as €0.03 per km, the e-NV200 offers an alternative practical solution which will have a positive effect on city-center air quality.”

“It’s wonderful to see an electric Harrods van on the roads of London again,” said Guy Cheston, media sales director at Harrods. “As one of Britain’s largest established department stores, we are committed to reducing our carbon emissions and mitigating our environmental footprint. As part of our carbon and energy management policy, we have identified transportation as a key area where we can make a real impact.”

Indeed — fleets around the world should be switching to electric vehicles now, for the obvious climate and air quality reasons as well as the increasingly obvious financial savings that are possible for these businesses.

“Nissan is the leader in EV technology and the e-NV200 was the obvious choice for us, allowing us to easily complete daily deliveries more sustainably and efficiently.” As a Nissan LEAF driver, I can say I’m happy to be supporting a company that is leading the way in the electric vehicle market in more ways than one.

“Harrods joins more than 900 companies worldwide who have trusted Nissan to help them towards a more sustainable future,” Nissan notes. “Named Europe’s best-selling electric van in 2016, the e-NV200 is part of Nissan’s popular zero emission range, combining the best elements of two multi-award winning vehicles: the Nissan LEAF and Nissan NV200. It provides a zero emission light commercial vehicle solution, offering low vehicle running costs from as little as €0.03 per km and a range of up to 170 km on a single charge. This makes it the perfect transportation option for businesses both big and small, as not only does it contribute to reducing a company’s carbon footprint, it is also practical, reliable and cost-effective.”

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