The University of Birmingham – one of the first fleet operators in the UK to place an order for the Nissan e-NV200 all-electric van – has taken delivery of the vehicle.

The e-NV200 Acenta is now in service as a postal vehicle delivering mail across the historic Edgbaston campus.

The model – which can cover 106-miles on a single charge and costs just two pence per mile to run – joins a 98-strong fleet believed to be one of the most sustainable in the country.

Offering true zero-emissions mobility it will contribute to the university’s strict carbon management plan and help it qualify for additional funding from the Higher Education Funding Council.

Monica Guise, University of Birmingham’s Post, portering and transport manager, said: “We had been eagerly awaiting the launch of the e-NV200  for about two years and so we were delighted to be the first to place an order and one of the first to take delivery.

“We began trialling electric vehicles six years ago and it’s fair to say we’ve had good and bad experiences in that time.

“But we were really excited by the arrival of the e-NV200 for a long time as we knew as it had been built from the ground-up to function as a van should.

“We’ve been really impressed by its performance, versatility and handling.”

She added: “The van will only cover about 4,000 miles per year, doing 25-35 miles per day, so we only need to charge it a couple of times a week. But in terms of the emissions, the e-NV200 will help us deliver on our environmental commitments and will play a big role us meeting the carbon targets that trigger additional central funding.

“Anything we can do to reduce the CO2 emissions from within our fleet directly impacts on our funding from Government. That’s one of the reasons we’re aiming to have 40% of our fleet fully electric by 2020.”

She continued: “We’re leasing our e-NV200 through Lex Autolease and that’s a real advantage for us and a major step forward for electric vehicles.

“All of a sudden we’re in the position where fleet managers don’t have to manage the financial risk that comes with new technology - that’s a massive shift.”

Based on the Nissan NV200 – International Van of the Year 2010 – and utilising the proven technology of the record breaking Nissan LEAF, the new e-NV200 offers a class-leading 4.2m3 capacity and 703kg payload and is priced from £13,393 in panel van form (incorporating the plug-in van grant).