Work, work work…
Travelling to work in an office every day can be a right pain in the posterior. Today, the average UK commuter spends a huge £358 a month on travelling costs, with the typical London office space fetching £1619 per square metre annually. Bonkers, right? That’s probably why increasing amounts of people are opting to work from home, or, in an even more cutting edge fashion, using hot-desking solutions to allow workers more fluidity and flexibility.
What’s this got to do with electric cars, we hear you ask. Well, bear with us, as Nissan has just released a pretty cool one-off version of its e-NV200 electric van after teaming up with London-based design workshop Studio Hardie. This professional office environment on wheels features an integrated fold-out desk, touchscreen computer, wireless internet, smartphone-controlled LED lights, wireless phone charging, Bluetooth audio system, mini fridge and, of course, a barista-quality coffee machine.
Flexibility is a must | Nissan e-NV200 WORKSPACe
The e-NV200 WORKSPACe concept not only highlights the customisable potential of its electric van, it paints a picture of what desk-based employment could look like in the future as the aforementioned hot-desking trends continue to increase in popularity. Moreover, the one-off vehicle also provides an example of Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility vision, and the company’s view of how the relationship between vehicles and people are changing.
Gareth Dunsmore, Director of Electric Vehicles, Nissan Europe said: “The Nissan e-NV200 is already a smart, sustainable transport solution for forward-thinking businesses, making it the ideal vehicle to be used as the basis for a mobile workspace. The e-NV200 WORKSPACe takes the ingenuity of our 100 percent electric van a step further and by enlisting the design expertise of Studio Hardie – renowned for its creative eco approach – the e-NV200 has been reimagined as an innovative, zero-emission working environment.
“EVs have the answer…” Gareth Dunsmore | Nissan Europe
“With property prices in our capital cities at such a premium and the modern professional needing to be ever more mobile, businesses will need to think smart and consider what the workplace of the future looks like,” he added. “With hot-desking and remote working on the rise, it is not too big a leap to see a future where our vehicles will become connected, energy efficient, mobile workspaces and the e-NV200 WORKSPACe project could become more than just a concept.”
The e-NV200 WORKSPACe can be rapid charged from empty to 80 percent power in just 30 minutes, and for those times when you want to leave the office parked and charging up, there’s an internal mount for a folding Brompton Bike, allowing users to make short trips around the city or complete the ‘last mile’ of any journey.
The Making of the electric mobile office
