Nissan is giving the world a taste of the future with an all-electric prototype ice cream van.
The Japanese car manufacturer teamed up with Mackie’s of Scotland, which makes ice cream on a farm powered by wind and solar energy, to show how ‘carbon dependence’ can be removed from production to distribution.
Traditional ice cream vans tend to be diesel models, which need the engine ticking over even when parked to keep the refrigeration equipment running.
However, Nissan’s prototype, which has been built to celebrate Clean Air Day, is based on the firm’s zero-emission, all-electric e-NV200 van. The vehicle runs from a 40kWh battery, while the on-board equipment gets its juice from a new portable power pack called Nissan Energy ROAM, which uses recycled battery cells from the company’s old electric vehicles.
The two packs have a combined storage capacity of 1.4kWh and produce up to 1kWh. They can be recharged from a 230v mains supply in about an hour, or via the roof-mounted solar panels.
Kalyana Sivagnanam, managing director of Nissan Motor GB, said: “Ice cream is enjoyed the world over, but consumers are increasingly mindful of the environmental impact of how we produce such treats, and the ‘last mile’ of how they reach us.
“By eliminating harmful tailpipe emissions and increasing our use of renewable energy, we can help make this a better world for everyone.”
The prototype may not have been launched on a ‘Sundae’ but Nissan no doubt hopes it’s got the competition licked with a van that could lead to hundreds and thousands of sales…