Meals on wheels tempted by tasty savings offered by electric vans

Nissan’s all-electric e-NV200 van is helping to provide a lifeline for hundreds of elderly and vulnerable people across south-east Wales after being drafted into service by Torfaen County Borough Council’s Community Meals service.

The local authority has taken delivery of five of the multi-award winning city vans and is using them to deliver hot meals, desserts and tea trays to around 175 residents across an area of 126km² every day.

The vans, which have been supplied through local Nissan dealer Wessex Garages, have replaced a fleet of aging Citroen diesels. Together, they will help the council save around £8,000 per year on fuel – relieving pressure on the already tight Community Meals budget – and make a major contribution towards the borough’s carbon reduction targets.

The council also expects to make significant maintenance savings, with the simplicity of the e-NV200’s all-electric drivetrain making burnt out clutches and malfunctioning starter motors – commonplace issues with standard multi-drop delivery vans – a thing of the past.

Councillor Anthony Hunt, Deputy Leader of Torfaen County Borough Council, said: “These vans offer a win-win situation for the council.

“Firstly, we expect to make fuel savings of around £8,000 per vehicle, per year which is a major benefit for the residents of Torfaen at a time when budgets are tight.

“Secondly the vehicles will have a significant impact as we look to reduce our carbon emissions and improve air quality in the county.”

Gareth Boyd, Community Meals Manager at Torfaen County Borough Council, added: “We’ve got people out there who don’t see anyone else during the day so having someone deliver a hot meal on a daily basis is a real lifeline for many people.

“Community Meals is a fantastic service that shows Torfaen Council really cares about the people of the borough but it’s not just about ensuring all residents has a healthy, nutritious meal. There’s a really important social care aspect too, and our drivers are a very important part in the care of many of the most vulnerable people in our community.”

Launched last year, the Nissan e-NV200 combines the NV200 – a former International Van of the Year – with the proven technology of the record breaking Nissan LEAF, the world’s bestselling electric car.

It costs just two pence* per mile to run and users also benefit from low maintenance costs that make for unrivalled total cost of ownership, which is estimated to be £2,500 lower than a conventional diesel over three years**.

It can cover 106 miles on a single charge*** and can be charged from zero to 100% in just 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, the model, which is priced from £13,568 in panel van form (incorporating Government Plug-In Van Grant) offers a class-leading 4.2m³ capacity and an impressive 703kg payload.