Published November 23, 2012
By Philippe Crowe
After New York, Nissan aims to conquer Barcelona with its NV200 and e-NV200 concept as the city's next-generation taxi.
Nissan wants to lead the way for zero emission vehicles in Spain and provide a further boost to local production in Barcelona for the automotive sector.
Production of the e-NV200 is slated to start late in 2013 and the all-electric, zero emission taxi alternative will be on sale starting with the 2014 model year.
Nissan announced the e-NV200 will be built at Nissan's Zona Franca plant in Barcelona and exported across the world.
The presentation of the new Barcelona NV200 taxi, which took place alongside the future model to be used in New York, was attended by Xavier Trias, mayor of Barcelona, Antoni Vives, deputy mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Vila, Fleet and Commercial Vehicle general manager at Nissan Europe, and Francisco Sauco, Fleet and Commercial Vehicle manager at Nissan Iberia.
Nissan says its NV200 is a new-generation compact van suited to a wide variety of uses for customers around the world. First launched in Japan and Europe in 2009, the NV200 is now available in more than 40 countries and has sold more than 135,000 units worldwide.
Chosen by New York City as their exclusive next generation taxi, the NV200 has also been unveiled, in concept form, as a bold new vision for London's iconic "black cab."
Both the Barcelona NV200 taxi and the concept for Nissan's London black cab are based on the NV200 model which is manufactured at Nissan's Zona Franca plant.
The vehicle features sliding side doors which allow easy boarding and exit for passengers, as well as being much safer for pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles as they do not open out into the road.
Jordi Vila, Fleet and Commercial Vehicles general manager at Nissan in Europe, said: "With the start of operation of the NV200 Diesel Taxi in Barcelona, Nissan expects to gather information on experiences and expectations of taxi drivers in order to prepare for our next step, the launch of the world's most advanced zero emission compact van, the new e-NV200, which will significantly improve air quality and reduce noise levels in the city."
Since May 2012, Nissan has delivered 400 quick chargers for electric cars to various operators in Europe in order to help the growth of electric vehicle infrastructures.
These units have been developed by Nissan, meet CHAdeMO standards, and have been reduced in size and price by a half. A total of 42 units are to be installed in Spain with the first having been installed in Vitoria in the Basque Country.
Nissan's goal is to use these new and strategically-sited quick charging points to create the embryo of a future national quick charging network, extending the range and flexibility of use of electric vehicles.
Barcelona also is making a significant commitment to deploy charging infrastructure, with over 250 public points distributed around the city, to ensure that the area is ready when citizens move towards sustainable zero emissions mobility. This market will be enhanced with the celebration in 2013 of the Electric Vehicle Symposium, the world congress industry benchmark which will be held in the Spanish city.
Barcelona has 10,500 taxi license holders and more than 225,000 people travel in the city's taxis every day.
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