Rotterdam introduces world’s best EV incentives to improve air quality

Incentives and subsidies mean 75% off a new Nissan e-NV200

Businesses in the Netherlands can buy Nissan’s new e-NV200 electric van for under €5,000 – less than 25 percent of its retail price – thanks to a programme to remove older, badly polluting vehicles from the streets.

The city of Rotterdam is offering business buyers €2,500 scrappage incentives which, together with other state-funded subsidies, can bring the price of the newly-launched e-NV200 Visia Flex down to just €4,950. The same discount opportunities can bring the price of a new Nissan LEAF down from €24,110 to just €7,4501.

EV users in the city also benefit from one year of free parking in the city centre and can enjoy subsidies of up to €1,450 if they install a home charger using green electricity. The city is also expanding its own public quick charger network.

“By scrapping older vehicles and incentivising buyers to replace them with zero-emission electric vehicles, Rotterdam is taking a huge step in improving air quality. Vehicles like Nissan e-NV200 and Nissan LEAF are ideal for city-based fleets as well as for private motorists who want to make a difference to the quality of life in their home town,” said Jordi Vila, Managing Director Nissan Netherlands.

The Rotterdam initiative is just one of a number of schemes in the Netherlands designed to promote zero-emission mobility. In Amsterdam, for example, electric vehicle incentives bring the cost of an e-NV200 Visia Flex down to just €5,650.

A nationwide EV support scheme sees an automatic €3,000 taken from the list price of an electric van or taxi and this is then supplemented by local municipal EV subsidies of up to €7,000.

But to take advantage of the huge discounts, buyers need to hurry. Rotterdam’s scrappage subsidy is only available to the first 5,000 applicants and orders need to have been placed before December with deliveries by the end of the year.

With EU governments establishing clear deployment goals for EVs, sales in Europe are expected to increase rapidly over the next 12 months. Figures for 2013 surpassed 45,000 registrations (including 11,120 LEAFs) and are forecast to rise to 400,000 by 2015, representing around 3.5 per cent of new passenger car registrations2.

Vila added: “It is fantastic to see the municipalities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam supporting the take-up of electric vehicles for both consumers and businesses. The environmental and financial benefits of this technology are clear even without incentives. This new scheme makes our already competitively priced Nissan LEAF and e-NV200 the best value new vehicles available – now really is the time to make the change while these incentives last.”

The Nissan e-NV200

Nissan e-NV200 is the second 100 per cent electric offering from the company and shares its drivetrain with Nissan LEAF, the world’s best-selling electric vehicle with more than 130K units sold worldwide.

The new LCV not only brings award-winning zero-emission technology to the EV market, but it also offers an alternative and practical solution to diesel-fuelled vehicles and marks the future of urban mobility. As a commercial vehicle, the e-NV200 will deliver round the clock emission-free running for van and taxi fleets, which will have a positive effect on city centre air quality.

As well as being vibration-free, emission-free and noise-free, the Nissan e-NV200 has a class leading cargo volume of 4.2 cu m, with a payload capacity of up to 770kg. It has a range of 170km with a maximum speed of 120kph. 

Jean-Pierre Diernaz, EV Director, Nissan Europe, commented: “As businesses continue to be cost conscious while the economy recovers, the Nissan e-NV200 delivers incredible savings for businesses right across Europe. Running costs are as little as €0.02 per km thanks to 40 per cent lower servicing costs and fuel costs up to four times cheaper than those of diesel vehicles. These additional incentives in the Netherlands mean that businesses can revolutionise their day-today deliveries and cost-base for minimal outlay.”

How the Rotterdam and Amsterdam discount has been calculated:

Notes:

¹ Figures (excluding VAT) based on Nissan LEAF and e-NV200 Flex, before monthly battery hire.

² http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/futurium/en/content/rise-fully-electric-vehicles

 Specifications: