Another step towards a 40% electric fleet target by 2020, joins a fleet of 98 low carbon vehicles used by the university as part of its carbon management plan, which in turn allows for additional funding from the Higher Education Funding Council.

The van is in Acenta spec, leased through Lex Autolease, and will cover around 4,000 miles per year. With a daily duty cycle of between 25 and 35 miles, the university only anticipates charging it a couple of times per week.

Monica Guise, University of Birmingham's post, portering and transport manager, said: ‘We began trialling electric vehicles six years ago and it's fair to say we've had good and bad experiences in that time.

‘But we were really excited by the arrival of the e-NV200 for a long time as we knew as it had been built from the ground-up to function as a van should. We've been really impressed by its performance, versatility and handling.’