Local Apparent Friday Posted June 25, 2022 (edited) https://tflcar.com/2022/06/nissan-nv200-small-van-replacement-caught-testing-is-it-an-ev/ Edited June 25, 2022 by Local Apparent Friday 1 radin2son reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
radin2son Posted June 25, 2022 World van so easy enough to ship or truck it here. Make it an ev and it would sell unless Nissan takes too much time to decide... Speaking of ev, Adventure Journal had an article taken from The Drive, comparing ice trucks to ev trucks or at least the concept of ev trucks beyond Rivian and Lightning. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Local Apparent Friday Posted June 25, 2022 I was just reading an article about a company getting started that has made a highly modified tesla motor designed to fit in any application where you can fit a small block chevy. No idea how we're going to charge all this stuff or dispose of the batteries, but EV is rushing towards us quickly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
radin2son Posted June 25, 2022 There is a company in UK that modifies Land Rover Defenders with some sort of Tesla-ice combination. The very affluent spending money because they can. My wife read an article about a couple who rented a Kia ev for an extended weekend type trip. Spent 18 hours or so charging it... Years ago in Green River, UT, when Teslas were relatively rare, a couple from Vermont approached us about where the charging station was and who had the key to the cabin in the state park. Like we looked like park rangers... They started their trip in Vegas. Did they make it home? Just don’t see one in our travel future. Around town, we are the perfect match. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Local Apparent Friday Posted June 25, 2022 Right there with ya...the whine of an electric motor just doesn't get the blood flowing like a big lopey cam, regardless of 1/4 mile ETs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crusty Posted June 26, 2022 On 6/25/2022 at 8:51 AM, radin2son said: World van so easy enough to ship or truck it here. Make it an ev and it would sell unless Nissan takes too much time to decide... Not really. Van is considered a truck and is subject to the Chicken Tax. Ford evaded it with the first generation of Transit Connects by mounting seats in the back and shredding the seats after they were imported. Not long ago there was a lawsuit from the feds looking for back taxes on this. Sprinters were first imported here as a CKD. That is the van was built in Germany, dismantled and shipped as a Complete Knock Down. Once all the parts arrived it was reassembled again. That was actually less expensive than paying the Chicken Tax. The Chicken Tax is what brought foreign auto maker production to the states. Nissan built the first plant in Smyrna to build trucks for the US market to avoid the Chicken Tax. The Chicken Tax does not specify what type of powertrain is in the trucks. So EVs would still be taxed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
radin2son Posted June 26, 2022 (edited) Supposedly, US NV200s were built in Cuernavaca, Mexico. (Would need to look at origin sticker to verify this.) If the tax is an issue and Nissan is serious about an E-NV200 (In 2014, they were built in Barcelona for Europe.), they will find a way to use NAFTA, similar to Ford trucks, using Canadian or Mexican parts and build them in Chattanooga. New version, Townstar NV, with Renault E-TECH has a claimed range of 177 miles. Good enough for city use. Edited June 26, 2022 by radin2son Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crusty Posted June 26, 2022 Correct on NV200s being built in Mexico and exempt from the Chicken tax. The Mexico built version is a good bit different than the European version. Take the B-pillar for example, it is about 6" wider on the Mexico built ones compared to the European version. Quick glance, they look the same. Up close, they are not. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
radin2son Posted June 27, 2022 If the current 2012-21 NV200 continues to be built in Mexico, it could rival the VW bug and combi of old. Still can’t get over the large radiator on the front of the VW van. Many European vehicles don’t make it here unfortunately. So the Mexican version with Renault E-TECH engine might be ideal for US city users. 1 Local Apparent Friday reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
