Nissan has launched its all-new Townstar van to rival the Peugeot partner and Citroen Berlingo – and, like its French competitors, it’s available with a choice of either a combustion-engine or pure-electric powertrain.
The new Townstar light commercial vehicle is built on the same CMF-C platform as the Nissan Qashqai, with which it shares its turbocharged petrol engine and some other technology. The ICE unit is a detuned version of Nissan’s familiar 1.3-litre four-cylinder motor, which develops 128bhp and 240Nm of torque in the Townstar. 
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The electric version of the Townstar, meanwhile, is Nissan’s successor to the e-NV200, and the brand has made several improvements to its motor and battery technology in an effort to make this new electric van easier to live and work with.

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Nissan says the Townstar’s 44kWh battery provides a maximum range of 177 miles, which means it will travel 43 per cent further on a full charge than the outgoing e-NV200. The Townstar’s electric motor has also been swapped for a more powerful 120bhp unit, compared with the 107bhp model in its predecessor.
Connected up to a 75kW DC rapid charger, the Townstar’s battery will charge from 0-80 per cent in 42 minutes. That’s a little longer than the 30 minutes it took the old e-NV200 to charge to the same level, but the Townstar features a larger battery. The van also supports both 11kW and 22kW AC charging, although the latter system is an optional extra.