Portsmouth Naval Base is taking delivery of a fleet of new vans, of which nearly half will comprise electric vehicles.

The Nissan e-NV200s will be used to transfer equipment within the naval base.

The first batch of 48 electric Nissan e-NV200 vans will arrive this week, ordered by BAE Systems and for use by its personnel to transfer stores, engineering and load-lifting equipment from warehouses within the naval base. In addition, 26 charging points and 28 designated parking bays for electric vehicles are being installed.

The agreement, which also includes 59 standard diesel vehicles, will save the Ministry of Defence an estimated £360,000 in fuel and other costs over the duration of the contract, which runs for two years with an option to extend into a third.

Ian Anderton, integrated delivery director at BAE Systems, said: “We have worked closely with Lex Autolease and Nissan to introduce this new fleet that makes a significant reduction to carbon dioxide emissions and respects ours customer’s need for value for money. Replacing nearly half of the transport fleet at the naval base reiterates the company’s commitment to creating more energy efficient ways of working and adopting the latest technologies.”

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