Voltia has received approval for its refrigerated Nissan electric van conversion to start full testing on Austrian roads.

The prototype refrigerated Nissan e-NV200 XL Voltia electric van is now certified to operate on Austrian roads

The van is a refrigerated version of Voltia’s e-NV200 XL conversion. Revealed last year and now part of Nissan’s official product portfolio available through dealers, the e-NV200 XL Voltia electric van offers an 8m3 cargo capacity – twice the load capacity of the standard e-NV200.

The new refrigerated version will enable the pharma and food sectors to take advantages of its benefits and is being developed as part of two research projects in Austria: Zero Logistics and Conserve, supported by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency.

Now certified to operate on Austrian roads, the refrigerated conversion is to expand its real-life testing, including with Austrian-based bio food producer company Biohof Achleitner, based in Eferding in Upper Austria.

The van uses new R290 (propane) transport refrigeration technology by Productbloks that’s directly driven by the traction battery of the vehicle. This replaces the high GWP refrigerants currently on the market and is said to provide real zero-emission operation. It also provides the highest volumetric efficiency with the lowest weight, maximising the payload of the vehicle, according to Productbloks.

The pilot of the new solution is expected to provide the pathway for a ground-breaking development in the segment of temperature-controlled electric vehicles.

According to estimates by Voltia, each year around 60,000 new refrigerated LCVs are sold in Europe and nearly all existing solutions are powered by diesel engines.