Nissan E-NV 200 Evalia: Beyond Any Range Fears

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 05:39

The Nissan e-NV 200 Evalia is the only electric car in this area with space for seven people. With the right attitude towards charging, the much-cited range fears do not restrict at all - even if the range is limited.

By Thomas Flehmer

A lack of charging infrastructure, high prices, but short range: reservations about electric cars have been firmly established since the first electric vehicles. The lack of infrastructure is currently being leveraged, you usually have to wait for cheaper prices despite the electrical bonus and the ranges have increased for many manufacturers over the past year.

But even with electric vehicles with a short range, possible fears can stay at home. Similar to the fuel gauge in cars with internal combustion engines, the Nissan e-NV 200 Evalia also looks more often at the display with the range, but with a slightly different charging behavior, these glances were less and less during the test period of two weeks - based on the everyday urban traffic.

Every two days to the plug

This provides a good 50 kilometers per day. With a mileage of exactly these 50 kilometers on the first day, the Japanese minibus with a total load of 154 kilometers (up to 170 kilometers should be possible) remains around 100 kilometers. Enough to still be able to contest the second day in peace, even if further tours were necessary.

On the second evening, the Evalia is plugged in at home and can be charged overnight. It doesn't matter then that Nissan gives the charging time as four to ten hours, depending on the charger, because the time until the next start is definitely longer.

Don't worry about switching on the heating

Once this two-day rhythm has been internalized, the consumers away from the kilometer-guzzling electric motor with 80 kW / 109 PS can be taken into account, which is becoming more and more important as the temperatures drop continuously. Switching on the heating takes around 15 kilometers to cover and then needs to be supplied with electricity during the journey.

According to the 50 kilometers of pure daily output, another 20 kilometers would then be added - generously, so that at the end of the first day another 80 kilometers are available for the second day, which is still sufficient. If there are still more kilometers to go, turning off the heating brings another 15 kilometers of range so that the family or members of the handball team can still get home safely before the Nissan is plugged back into the socket. This rhythm really doesn't need a lot of calculations.

Electric Evalia 16 centimeters longer

As a bonus, occupants can enjoy the extremely smooth ride. When driving downhill or when approaching the red traffic light, you can switch to brake mode on the automatic lever to increase recuperation. At the same time, the brakes are protected in this mode. When the traffic light starts afterwards, the e-NV 200 Evalia also benefits from the 254 Newton meters available from the start. Despite its live weight of just under 1.8 tonnes, the minibus initially surprises the other road users with a nice start, before it later becomes more difficult with the propulsion.

But the minibus, with its top speed of 123 kilometers per hour, was not designed as a sports car. The chassis is also set up for comfort, the interior for practical use, after all, the Evalia is derived from a light commercial vehicle, which is also evident in the somewhat tricky sliding doors as well as in the practical use of luggage. If not all seven seats are occupied, the two foldable rear seats can be removed and a volume of up to 2900 liters is available for luggage. With all seven you have to limit your luggage a little, even if the electric Evalia is 16 centimeters longer than the Evalia with a combustion engine.

Download for free from Nissan

Even for the long journey you would have to limit yourself, not just with luggage. If the energy requirement for propulsion on the motorway increases, the range automatically decreases. More modern electric cars could then travel greater distances - the e-NV 200 not yet without recharging once every hour at the edge of the route. If, however, a Nissan dealer is represented in the destination 80 kilometers away, you can recharge it at the Chademo plug for the return trip free of charge within half an hour, while you are at the coffee table with Aunt Käthe.

For 37,926 euros - then the battery is also owned at the same time - the minibus is not necessarily a bargain, even if a total of 5250 euros are deducted thanks to an environmental bonus and another bonus from Nissan. Those who prefer to lease the battery at a monthly price of 86.87 euros or more will pay 26,780 euros for the seven-seater after deduction of the subsidy, the five-seater costs a further 2300 euros less. And then the whole thing looks a lot more relaxed - especially since the range fears are hardly justified despite the limited range.