Nissan’s European electric vehicle fleet sales — primarily sales of the Nissan LEAF car and the e-NV200 van — climbed to record levels for the fourth year in a row during fiscal year 2015, according to a recent press release from Nissan.
The climb in fleet sales was a pretty significant one — a 45% year-on-year increase from fiscal year 2014, reportedly. Altogether, the company sold over 7,500 Nissan LEAFs and e-NV200s to fleet operators and local municipalities throughout Europe.
As a result of the strong growth, Nissan managed to capture a 28% share of the total all-electric (EV) fleet market in Europe during the year. To date, Nissan has sold more than 20,000 EVs to European fleet customers since the launch of its electric fleet business.
A new press release provides some information concerning the potential advantages to fleet operators when going with Nissan’s offerings:
Offering optimum practicality and driving comfort combined with low running costs, the Nissan LEAF and e-NV200 are truly viable options for fleet operators across the region. Costing approximately €0.03 per kilometer to run, owners also benefit from low maintenance costs that make for unrivalled total cost of ownership. With fewer moving parts, Nissan EVs provide estimated maintenance costs up to 40% lower than petrol or diesel alternatives. Furthermore, many European fleet owners can also benefit from varied incentives offered by governments across the continent, all whilst saving on energy consumption; providing a cost-effective, simple solution to reduce their carbon footprint.
…Postal services are among the many service providers that have been particularly quick to take advantage of the clear benefits associated with switching to electric. Österreichische Post AG, the Austrian state postal authority, already utilises 160 e-NV200s and has recently confirmed an order for 100 additional units.
The Director of Electric Vehicles for Nissan Europe, Gareth Dunsmore, commented: “It’s great to see Nissan EV fleet demand going from strength-to-strength as businesses catch on to the many marked advantages electric vehicles have to offer. Nissan not only offers a great pure electric range for businesses, but we have also employed EV fleet specialists in most European countries, trained to provide advice and support to customers, offering analysis of total ownership costs and charging infrastructure. This strategy has proved incredibly effective at assisting businesses who are interested in zero emission technology, but need some guidance on making the switch to zero emission motoring.”