Later in 2011, probably in the last quarter, Nissan will begin to sell a commercial van that easily rivals the ancient offerings from Ford (Econoline/E-series full-size vans) and Chevrolet (Express series).
2012 Nissan NV commercial vans
The Ford and Chevy vans haven’t changed much in decades. These pictures, with some minor cosmetic changes, could have come from any of the past 25 years.
2011 Ford E-Series Passenger and Cargo Van
2011 Chevy Express Cargo Van
Dodge used to sell a commercial van, but that’s long gone. Until recently, Dodge sold a rebadged Ram version of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, but after the Daimler-Chrysler divorce, those vans are now sold directly by Mercedes.
2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Cargo Van
And let’s not forget that Dodge is no longer in the truck business. New task-master Fiat split off Ram Trucks into a separate brand. Fiat may eventually market its commercial trucks in the US under the Ram brand.
2011 Fiat Ducato Cargo Van - A line of commercial Fiat vans like this may be marketed in the US under the Ram Brand
The Nissan NV Utility Vans are based on the Nissan Titan pickup truck, sharing the frame and drivetrains. It will come in three variants: The 1500 is a light duty van and two heavy duty vans, a 2500 and 3500. The HD versions can be ordered with a tall roof, similar to that available on the Mercedes Sprinter. The base engine is a 4.0 liter V6, while Nissan’s ubiquitous 5.6 liter V8 is optional or standard, depending on configuration. Diesel power is promised sometime after introduction, but no timetable or details are forthcoming from Nissan. All will have an automatic transmission.
2012 Nissan NV Cargo Van with the high roof option.
2012 Nissan NV cockpit. Looks very similar to the interior of the Nissan Titan pickup truck.
Our friends at PickupTrucks.com have this great video giving details on the production NV shown at the 2010 Work Truck Show in St. Louis, MO.
My only problem with these new vans is their size. That snout, in addition to the cavernous cargo area, will make these things very hard to park and drive in the congested city.
Ford’s Transit Connect, which looks like a much smaller version of the NV, is a much better urban fit for most contractors who don’t need the cargo and weight capacity of a gigantic pickup truck. Further, the Transit Connect will be available in an electric version this year, making it a great fit for fleets that don’t need to drive long distances every day and can recharge each night.
2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric
I think the NV may nudge Ford and GM to update their commercial vans and the Mercedes Sprinter will get its first direct competition.
Todd Bianco's ACarIsNotARefrigerator.com Blog 
The Nissan NV is a bit bigger but I think it would be perfect for use in the suburbs. Most business fleets do need to drive long distances so I don’t think the Transit EV would be very convenient.
I think the Transit Connect EV has its place in certain urban environments. For example, Staples has a fleet of pure electric delivery trucks running around LA. Given a limited delivery area and an known route daily, Staples is effectively able to manage the EV fleet without a problem. That could be true for many other service/delivery types where there is a know range at the beginning of every morning.
I really like the Nissan NV offerings and I think they will be very useful for contractors/service/delivery trades that need the room and tall areas. I’ve already seen a few of them running around LA. I’m glad to see that Ford/Ram/Chevy finally have some competition in this market. You are right, that for more distance and suburban areas, an EV isn’t practical.
You’re right, it could work if the delivery route is within a limited area. I actually live in L.A too (WeHo) even though I have Minneapolis as my name 🙂 I haven’t seen the Staples EV fleet yet but will keep an eye out for it. It could work if each Staples store had their own fleet that delivered in a certain area because most of L.A is pretty spread out; Weho, Downtown, Santa Monica etc. It’s interesting to know that Staples is green, I never knew that.
Well, hello to a fellow WeHo resident!
I’ve seen several Staples EV delivery trucks (they are big, heavy duty trucks) in Santa Monica and one in Hollywood. They are brightly painted and clearly market as a zero emissions EV and of course, being a company owned truck, it is boldly painted with Staples’ logo.
I’m pretty sure that each truck is limited to a specific delivery area and route. They go back to recharge at night and ready for the next day. It works for this kind of application, but a pure EV doesn’t generally work as someone’s only car. It’s best as a family’s second or third car. Something mom or dad uses for predictable daily commutes.
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