Conversion specialist Voltia is to offer its e-NV200 XL electric van at a monthly leasing price of under €550 in Europe – lower than the monthly cost for diesel vans.

The Voltia e-NV200 XL

Revealed earlier this year, the electric van offers an 8m3 cargo capacity – twice the load capacity of the standard e-NV200 and enabling businesses to complete fewer trips and streamline operations. Part of Nissan’s official product portfolio available through dealers, it’s produced in three European countries in partnership with a network of manufacturing partners and being joined in 2021 by a refrigerated version that targets the food and pharma sectors. And while continental Europe is a key focus, the UK will also be a major market.

Now, Voltia has teamed up with three top European leasing providers on dedicated e-LCV leasing product to unlock financing for the e-LCVs market. The aim of the partnership is to bring a more compelling zero-emission offer to the market, thereby increasing the share of electric cars.

The work has resulted in the e-NV200 XL leasing offer of below €550 per month (exact price depends on specifications and market), including electricity and other costs, due in part to a longer lease period – thanks to the longevity of EVs – and lower maintenance costs, reflecting the specific benefits of an EV.

Voltia says that comparable diesel van lease cost starts from €300-350 per month plus an additional €250-300 for fuel and other costs that has to be paid to drive a monthly mileage of 2,000km.

Juraj Ulehla, CEO of Voltia, said: “One of our goals was to lower thresholds to access zero-emission technology. To be adopted, new technology needs to be not only cleaner and more reliable, but also cheaper than existing technology. This is especially true in the highly competitive segment of e-commerce logistics, which operates with narrow profit margins (2-5%) and is very cost sensitive and risk averse. Our goal was to make electric LCVs more affordable throughout Europe and the world – with the support of our partners from leasing sector.”

Voltia added that the fact that electric vans are technologically capable of outperforming and outliving combustion cars was one of the key factors that won leasing companies over to significantly decrease the monthly lease rate compared to current pricing. It also enables them to extend vehicle leasing periods from four to six or even eight years.