Nissan to roll out office on wheels

Emirates Business

Nissan has collaborated with UK-based design workshop Studio Hardie to transform its
zero emission e-NV200 van into the world’s first all-electric mobile office — the e-NV200 WORKSPACe.
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 barista-quality
coffee machine.
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 hot-desking and flexible working grows in popularity across the globe. 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.
During 20151, the number of co-working and hot-desking spaces worldwide increased by 36 percent as small businesses and working professionals looked for increased mobility and a more cost-effective alternative to traditional city-centre office space.
With electric vehicles costing as little as €0.03 per kilometre4 to run, the e-NV200 WORKSPACe offers a cost-effective desk space solution allowing users to work for free in some city-centres that offer free EV charging bays, or escape the city altogether for the countryside or coastal fresh air.
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 work place.
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.
“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.
William Hardie, celebrated UK-based designer and founder of Studio Hardie, said: “We specialise in creating amazing spaces in unexpected places, but we’ve never done anything in an electric vehicle before.
“Given the van’s green credentials we wanted to maximise the space with smart and considered features such as sustainably sourced materials and efficiently-powered technology. We believe the future of technology is a return to quality craftsmanship, so we’ve also looked to hone an environment that professionals will really enjoy work-
ing in. All the comfort and connectivity
of a modern office, with a few surprising touches thrown in!”
The Nissan e-NV200 is part of Nissan’s popular zero-emission range, combining the best elements of two multi-award winning vehicles — the Nissan Leaf and Nissan NV200. It provides a zero-emission light commercial vehicle solution, offering low vehicle running costs of €3.00 per 100 kilometers and a range of up to 170 km on a single charge5. This makes it the perfect transportation option for businesses both big and small, as not only does it contribute to reducing a company’s carbon footprint, it is also practical, reliable and cost-effective.
As a pioneer of zero-emission technology, Nissan is dedicated to providing Intelligent Mobility solutions for all and to date, the company has sold more than 250,000 electric vehicles worldwide.
Stepping inside the best-in-class 4.2m³ load bay of the e-NV200, occupants are welcomed into a bright working environment with a special panoramic glass roof and LED floor lighting enhancing the feeling of space.
The intelligent LED system can also be
customised to whatever colour scheme the user desires by connecting with a smartphone app to adjust the lighting based on a large number of parameters, such as the palette within a photo.
Bright dashes of coloured trim and a premium-feel, decked oak flooring complete the contemporary ambience. The front seats have also been reupholstered in white to carry the design theme from the rear of the van through to the cockpit.
If the weather is fine, both side sliding doors can be opened, together with the split rear doors, to create a more open working atmosphere. At the rear, a clever floating deck can be pulled out to provide an outdoor area from which to take a phone call, work from a laptop or just admire the view of your surroundings.
Inside the e-NV200 WORKSPACe are two chrome and leather desk chairs, anchored to the van’s oak flooring on custom mounts. In one configuration these are positioned side-by-side to allow for two people to have a meeting. Between these chairs is a wooden console containing a wireless charging dock for smartphones, Bluetooth® music speaker and a drawer-based mini-fridge.
One of the chairs can then be moved to a central mounting point, allowing a user to sit at the fold-down desk console, which houses a touch-screen computer, wireless mouse and keyboard and array of stationary supplies, each with its own storage space.
On the other side of the load bay is a
console designed for making barista qual-
ity coffee. A barista quality coffee maker rises mechanically from a concealed compartm-
ent within the counter with a full array of coffee-making equipment, stored in the overhead locker, for crafting the perfect espresso or cappuccino.