Collaborating with Renault, Nissan have a new small electric van the Townstar EV. First shown at the 2023 CV Show at the NEC in Birmingham it replaces the e-NV200 in the Nissan van range.
Powertrain, range & charging
Fitted with a 45kW battery & an electric motor fitted on the front axle, the Townstar EV delivers up to 186 miles (WLTP). The battery can be recharged using a home 7.4kW charger in just over 6 hours, whilst rapid DC charging up to 75kWh gives users an 80% charge in 42 minutes. The battery size, 45kW, means that if you utilise a night time charging discount, if your Townstar EV battery is a third full when you plug-in, you’ll be able to fully charge it up overnight at a cheaper rate.
Performance
The system produces 122hp with 245Nm of torque, leading to a 0–60mph time of 14 seconds & a top speed of 84mph.
Model range & payloads
Existing Nissan customers will be familiar with the trims on offer. First up is Visia, followed by Acenta, Tekna & Tekna+. There are also two Townstar wheelbases to choose from, L1 SWB & L2 LWB. Payloads are up to 600kg (SWB) or 800kg (LWB), with the maximum braked towing capacity being 1,500kg. Load volume is 3.3 or 4.3 cubic metres & load lengths are 1,806mm for the L1 or 2,230mm for the L2. The electric van offers exactly the same payloads as the petrol version.
The L1 can take a pair of Euro pallet’s & comes with a single sliding side door as standard. On the L2 models, the twin sliding side doors are wider, increasing from 615mm to 831mm, wide enough to load a Euro pallet through them.
Specs
All models get a full-width bulkhead, 60:40 split rear doors & a nearside sliding door to access the load area. L2 variants get an off-side sliding door as well. All versions feature a plastic bulkhead separating the cabin from the load area, but there’s no load-through option.
Standard kit on Visia models includes air-con, remote central locking with deadlocks, electric heated mirrors, automatic headlights & automatic wipers.
Acenta improves on this with the addition of an 8″ colour touchscreen, Apple CarPlay & Android Auto smartphone connectivity, cruise control, climate control, rear parking sensors & AEBS automatic braking.
Tekna adds SatNav, front parking sensors keyless entry & start & a useful rear camera. Tekna+ models come with 16″ alloy wheels & a suite of extra driver assistance tech, including 360-degree monitor, Park Assist, Blind Spot Intervention, traffic sign recognition & driver attention alert.
Safety
Townstar brings a suite of 20+ technologies to the compact van segment & feature’s a broad range of safety technologies & advanced driver assistance features such as Intelligent Emergency Braking, Hands-Free Parking, Intelligent Cruise Control & Around View Monitor (AVM), which is exclusive to Nissan.
Practicality & storage
The Townstar EV doesn’t disappoint & fells very car-like with good quality plastics & finishes throughout.
Storage wise you get a small glove box, a dash top lidded box with two USB’S & a 12v socket inside. The two door pockets are large enough for two drinks each. There are twin drinks holders in the centre binnacle & an armrest with hidden space underneath & on our test van, a phone holder & an overhead cabin wide shelf offers even more storage.
The rear load area features six load lashings & an LED light. Our L2 model had twin side sliding doors & twin 180 degree rear opening doors.
Cabin
The auto gear lever is nicely positioned in the centre of the dash with another 12v socket beneath.The dashboard & steering wheel controls, left for cruise control, right for infotainment, are easy to use with separate metallic-ringed climate dials sitting underneath the touchscreen.
Helping you keep your eyes on the road ahead, Nissan have also included piano-key buttons under the central screen as short cuts to features such as central locking, ECO & in our range topper the all around camera & parking functions.
Infotainment
Nissan has fitted the Townstar with a mid-tier infotainment system. Technology includes wireless smartphone charging, an 8″ touchscreen, EASY-LINK display plus smartphone integration via Android Auto & Apple CarPlay with three USB connections. The system works well although some of the icons feel a little dated, especially those used in the Nissan SatNav. In our short time in the Townstar EV we connected wirelessly to Apple CarPlay. It all worked seamlessly so a big tick for us.
Warranty
Buyers get a pan- European five-year or 100,000-mile warranty, in addition to the eight-year or 100,000 miles battery warranty for the EV version. This includes bumper-to-bumper protection, genuine parts & accessories & roadside assistance.
Driving in town
Heading away from Manchester we headed out towards the M60 so that we could experience what most city van drivers do, i.e. slow moving traffic & a couple of short hops around the outside of the city on the motorway. Our Tekna+ test van was very comfortable & eerily quiet with a nice bit of acceleration when nipping in & out of the traffic. We took a similar route in the petrol Townstar a few weeks previously & the main differences are that the electric van is much, much quieter & it’s a far more relaxed experience when driving in the city. We should also mention the EV’s zero emissions which as Greater Manchester looks to set up it’s own low emission zone, although it’s currently on hold, this will benefit operators when this does comes to pass.
The battery is located underneath the van & this really helps set the Townstar EV up for a comfortable low-speed ride. It’s quite supple over potholed tarmac & it’s not noticeably bouncy for an unladen van.
Regeneration & Eco mode
We should mention the regeneration modes that the electric Nissan comes with. The gear lever offers drivers a simple choice of Park, Reverse, Neutral or Drive. By pulling the stick back into D you can then shift it to the right to select the B regeneration mode & then pull to back to choose regen 1,2 or 3. In town, we set this up in regen 3 in order to get the most from our stop-start drive.
Compared to many EV’s, the regen on the Townstar is quite subtle & although you can use the levels to slow the van down, none are strong enough to warrant one-pedal driving, so the brake does come into play when you approach a junction or roundabout. We also chose to utilise the Eco mode & this optimises the van’s range by limiting engine performance & reducing power consuming systems on the vehicle, such as the air-con, heating & power assisted steering.
Driving on the motorway & range
On the motorway we set the cruise control to 70mph & our unladen van finally let some tyre & wind noise into the well insulated cabin. The golden rule with any electric van is never to drive too fast so you can conserve the battery range. If you’re only going to travel 50-100 miles in a day then 70mph is fine. However, with a maximum 186 mile range on your Townstar EV you’ll need to take into account payload including two passengers & cold weather, an EV’s worst enemy. We reckon that 62mph is the optimum speed. Fast enough to get past trucks, slow enough to conserve some of your battery.
Positives
Car-like cabin & impressive handling. It’s also very practical with three USB’s, two 12v sockets & a myriad of storage places. Safety is also to the fore on all models. It comes with zero emissions & class leading towing.
Negatives
The electric Townstar is more expensive than the petrol versions. There’s only one battery option. The 600kg payload on the L1, is less than what you get with some rivals. In common with many smaller vans, the fitting of the bulkhead means that taller drivers might find that they can’t push the drivers seat back quite as far as they’d like.
Conclusion
Compared to the departed eNV200, the Townstar EV is a massive improvement. Nissan have added some clever storage solutions in the cabin & the whole range comes well equipped with plenty of safety features. Furthermore it offers a quiet, relaxed driving experience, coupled to swift acceleration, a real bonus when negotiating urban traffic.
If you can, choose the L2 for it’s better payload & in a mid-range spec; Acenta comes with plenty of kit & would be our choice. Alongside other small electric vans it’s 186 mile range is good too. Just remember to utilise the regeneration in the city, slow down on the motorway & as long as it’s not too hot or too cold, turn the heating off.
Small electric & really very good 4.5/5
