Thank you for the welcome. I'll start with a bit of an overview of the e-NV200 and the ways it is and is not like a Leaf.
First, it has a mich bigger name. Mine is the Nissan "e-NV200 Combi 7-seat Evalia" which is enough of a mouthful to halve the sales of the car on its own. The plain e-NV200 is a small panel van, an empty box with just the two front seats and side-hinged rear doors, rated to carry 705 kg or 1554 pounds, about 3/4 ton. The Combi models have 5 or 7 seats, carpets, trim, windows and a top-hinged huge tailgate, sold as a car rather than a van and with about 100 kg less payload. Originally the NV200 was a diesel vehicle, and the e-NV200 uses the same structure and suspension with a Leaf front-wheel-drive power train. The battery fits under the floor, with its weight low down and neatly between front and back wheels.
Now at the end of its production (next year a completely new model will replace it), the diesel NV200 is no longer available in Britain or the EU. Early e-NV200 (2014) used the same 24 kWh battery as the Leaf. From 2018, the battery has been 40 kWh but the 80 kW motor and power electronics are those of the older Leaf. Since the van shape has the aerodynamics of a haystack, the effective range of my new 40 KWh car is about 120 miles.
There is what looks like a conventional automatic gear shift, unlike the Leaf's. Presumably Nissan wanted a van to have a minimal learning time for a busy driver. P for park, R, N and D all look ordinary. They aren't gears, though, and only P has a mechanical effect; the others are just electrickery. A sideways jog of the lever switches between D and B (for added braking effect such as descending a long or steep hill). A separate button turns on "Eco" mode which decreases power and increases regenerative braking a bit. The instrument panel is less exotic than an old Leaf, with a huge number displayed for a speedometer and bar displays for power and battery level. The Guess-O-Meter range estimate is there, too. The indicated speed is about 8% faster than the real speed (measured with a phone app). My model has CHAdeMO charging and a 6.6 kW on-board AC charger. The battery has a cooler (a loop off the car's air-conditioning) which helps somewhat for fast charging on long journeys. The Leaf Spy app works.
Despite the greater weight and bulk than a little Leaf, the e-NV200 does not feel under-powered. It's quick and of course nearly silent in city traffic. It happily reaches all legal speeds on British roads, but on long journeys there is no point in cruising faster than 60 mph, because the range is so much reduced as to spend more time on fast chargers than saved by going faster between them. Considered as a car, its plastic trim and fittings are not exciting but adequate. Wind noise is very noticeable, probably because the electric drive train is so quiet and possibly because our first long journey was through a seasonal storm. With back row seats folded up or removed completely, and one seat in the second row folded, a full-size bicycle can be wheeled in, upright, and strapped in place in a few seconds. Sliding side doors are good for access to those second-row seats. A reversing camera and big mirrors make it easy to park. The automatic lights and wipers are good, the seats are comfortable although their adjustments are basic, and there are bottle or cup holders all over the place.
There are six brakes, plus regenerative braking from the motor and the transmission lock for gear P. (The back wheels have both disc and drum brakes, the latter for a cable-operated parking brake.) Slowing down and stopping has not yet been a problem.
Our "Evalia" model has a good audio system but waste-of-money satellite navigation. The maps are years out of date, it doesn't support Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, and entering a destination from Google Maps is supposed to work but does not. There are a few other faults which I am still following up with the Nissan dealer who sold the car to me.
Enough for one evening. I'll raise issues or ask questions as and when seem appropriate.
- Mark