14 DAY TRIAL // Some very lucky engineers working with energy and home services provider British Gas are now busy driving 28 Nissan e-NV200 vans up and down the country's roads and highways.
Some of the vehicles will be driven around the North East of England, others will hang around Glasgow and West London.
Regardless of where their wheels will take them, the Nissan electric vans will stay with their allotted engineers for about six months.
What's more, they won't even part with their new owners during nighttime. Thus, Business Green reports that, before the engineers each got their own Nissan e-NV200, British Gas installed charging points at their homes.
The company has also promised to cover the charging costs, so all the engineers have to do is drive, recharge and then drive some more.
While it is true that the holidays are coming, British Gas did not offer these 28 folks the chance to drive Nissan e-NV200 vans way ahead of the vehicle's official launch in 2014 purely for sentimental reasons.
On the contrary, the six-month project is a trial meant to help the company determine whether or not it would make sense to have the Nissan e-NV200 become part and parcel of its fleet.
Specifically, British Gas wants to find out if this environmentally friendly car can cope with the harsh environmental conditions it would be exposed to during the winter months. If so, the vans might forever stay with the engineers, and others of their kind would shortly join them.
Presently, British Gas' fleet puts 45,000 tons of CO2 into the planet's atmosphere on a yearly basis. The company is not happy about it, and hopes to improve on its ecological footprint by purchasing 13,000 electric home service vans by 2015.
Commenting on this partnership with British Gas, Jim Wright, Nissan Great Britain managing director, said that, “We're proud to be providing the vehicles and services for the UK's largest ever electric commercial vehicle pilot in conjunction with our strategic partners.”
“Piloting such a large number of vans with British Gas in advance of the e-NV200 going on sale in 2014 underlines the closeness of our relationship and marks the final stages of the vehicle's development,” he added.