BUSINESSES running vans in London's expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone could reduce the cost of switching to a Nissan Townstar EV by up to £12,000.

A number of grants and incentive payments are available for companies which are removing older, more polluting vehicles from their fleets and acquiring new zero-emission models such as the all-electric Townstar.

The avoidance of the £12.50 daily ULEZ charge would mean a saving of more than £3,000 a year for a business running a Townstar EV from Monday to Friday.

All-electric examples of the Nissan Townstar qualify for charge-free access to the ULEZ and the help available to companies looking to transition their fleets to cleaner, greener choices is generous.

The Mayor of London's scrappage scheme supports eligible sole traders, small businesses, micro businesses and charities which are scrapping or retrofitting vehicles that don't meet ULEZ emissions standards.

Companies can apply for a grant payment of £9,500 to scrap a van and replace it with an electric one.

Also available to organisations acquiring electric versions of Townstar is the Plug-in Van Grant (PiVG) which is administered by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). The largest sum currently available for any electric Townstar variant is £2,500.

EV charging installation grants are also available via OZEV.

The Townstar is the successor to the e-NV200 and brings more than 20 technologies to the compact van segment including a broad range of safety systems and advanced driver assistance features.

The Townstar L1 provides up to 3.3 cubic metres of load space, accommodating two Euro pallets while the L2, with its extended wheelbase, provides 4.3 cubic metres with a wide-opening side loading door of 831mm, class-leading in its segment.

The maximum braked towing capacity is 1,500kg for all van versions.

The Townstar also comes with a pan-European five-year or 100,000-mile warranty which includes roadside assistance. This is in addition to the eight-year or 100,000-mile battery warranty for the EV version.

The Townstar EV has a zero-emission range of up to 183 miles - or up to 269 miles in city use. The Townstar EV's 45kWh battery offers both AC charging (11kW or 22kW) or 80kW DC CCS quick-charging, the latter of which enables users to charge the battery from 15 per cent to 80 per cent in 37 minutes.

Allan Newman, LCV product section manager at Nissan GB, said: ‘‘Wherever you are in the UK, Townstar EV represents great value for money. And the financial help linked to the expansion of the London ULEZ makes it an even more compelling proposition in the capital."