Innovation
“The Pleasure of Driving”. What Is the Ride Comfort of “N-VAN e:” Felt by a Yamato Transport Driver During Practicality Verification?
In preparation for its commercial debut in the spring of 2024, “N-VAN e:”*, the new light commercial-use mini-EV (electric vehicle), is in the final adjustment phase. In order to understand how drivers who actually use the vehicle for work perceive its usability, we interviewed a driver who participated in the practicality verification of the N-VAN e: and sat at the wheel of the prototype.
* For the practicality verification, we used a test vehicle based on Honda’s light van “N-VAN”.
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Yamato Transport Co., Ltd.
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Hiroki Shimizu
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Yamato Transport is a partner envisioning a common future
“Rich in torque, lively performance, yet quiet. This has enabled us to consider our customers in the surrounding areas”. Hiroki Shimizu, a driver at Yamato Transport’s Nakano branch office in Tokyo, reflects on the day when he, as a driver involved in the practicality verification of N-VAN e:, which is set to be released in the spring of 2024, conducted delivery tasks for the first time using a prototype vehicle.
Honda is implementing various measures towards achieving carbon neutrality, including aiming for a global annual production of two million electric vehicles by 2030. On the other hand, Yamato Transport is also actively working towards the realization of sustainable logistics, aiming for “Net Zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions by 2050” and a “48% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 (compared to the 2020 fiscal year)”, actively engaged in the introduction of electric vehicles, the development of operational implementation of EVs, and energy management. Although their industries differ, they may be considered comrades in their attempt to decarbonize society.
As the N-VAN e: enters the final stages towards mass production, Honda, wanting to ensure customer demands, Yamato Transport, wanting delivery EVs for practical distribution tasks are accomplished. Practicality verification was conducted by using a “Yamato Transport dedicated vehicle”, which is the N-VAN e: prototype fitted with a dedicated drive recorder, refrigeration, and freezer, in actual business operations with drivers. This was done to check how the vehicle behaves at the forefront of commercial usage.
Mr. Hiroki Shimizu served as the driver for the practicality verification at the Nakano branch office. “At first, I was a bit anxious, but when I drove it, I found it very easy to drive and suitable for urban deliveries”, he said with a smile.
The Nakano branch office, where Shimizu is stationed, is an area with intricate narrow alleys and densely packed residences. The vehicle requires parking in many instances, and the driving speed varies depending on the area, making it one of the key points to demonstrate how the EV performs. In this situation, Shimizu, who drove an EV for the first time, was surprised by its comfortable driving experience.
When climbing a steep hill with a diesel vehicle fully loaded with packages, the engine often produces a loud, roaring noise due to the increased load. However, in the case of N-VAN e:, it quietly and effortlessly accelerated without such noise. At first, I was so surprised by the lightness that I found myself checking the cargo area to make sure I had loaded the packages properly. My first impression was that “this car is reliable and easy-to-drive”.
N-VAN e: (prototype) used in practicality verification. The first electric vehicle based on the popular N-Series.
And a point of interest is the range it can cover on a single charge. Even if the driving experience is good, there would be concerns for drivers of cars for commercial use if the range is limited.
The delivery area assigned to the Nakano branch office is approximately a 3 km radius. Drivers cover an average of around 30 km per day, sometimes delivering over 100 packages. However, charging every two days was sufficient. A daily driving distance of 30 km might seem short, but frequent stops make the fuel efficiency challenging.
Furthermore, while it’s a common feature in EVs, the ability to avoid stopping at gas stations during delivery tasks also contributes to the effective use of time.
Diesel vehicles need to refuel when returning to the base, and this, along with planning the route, is surprisingly time consuming. Time is precious for drivers, so being able to simply connect the charging plug after completing deliveries then returning to the office, and having the vehicle ready for the next day is quite helpful.
Zero stress and zero troubles
During the three months of practical testing, Shimizu worked with the N-VAN e: (prototype) for deliveries, and he mentioned that there were zero issues with the vehicle.
The vehicles of the Nakano branch office spend more time parked than being driven, so with diesel vehicles, there is a risk of the battery losing its charge. However, in this practicality verification, there were no major issues, including battery problems, so I could concentrate on delivery work without concerns.
The N-VAN e: (prototype) loaded with packages smoothly and surprisingly quietly leaves the office for the city.
Furthermore, managing one’s physical condition is an essential and important task for drivers to ensure safe driving. He also stated that the air conditioning performance of the delivery vehicle was overwhelmingly better in the EV.
Another thing I felt was amazing, was the effectiveness of the air conditioning. It’s been three months since the start of the practicality verification, and there were some days with extremely hot weather. After finishing deliveries and returning to the vehicle, when I pressed the air conditioning switch, the interior quickly cooled down. It was a positive impression that even with the air conditioning at full blast, it didn’t affect driving performance.
In the extreme heat of recent years, if you don’t use air conditioning, there is a risk of health problems. So, the air conditioning is indispensable not only while driving but also during breaks.
In the case of diesel vehicles, it takes time to cool down, and leaving the engine running for the air conditioning emits CO2. Also, I am always mindful of whether the engine noise is causing inconvenience to people in the surrounding area. So being able to perform in-car tasks and take short breaks without worrying about noise is a benefit.
In addition, the ease of getting in and out was also well-received by the drivers.
Although the workload varies depending on the business volume and collection/delivery area, there are days when I collect and deliver more than 100 items, so getting in and out of the vehicle, simply calculating, is double that number. If the seat is located at a high position, the entire body is used, more fatigue can gradually accumulate. In terms of physical comfort as well, I felt that the N-VAN e: with the hip at a low position is driver-friendly.
The Yamato Group has set a goal to introduce 20,000 EVs by 2030. In the future, there may be many N-VAN e: vehicles being driven in the city.
Would space saving loading capabilities alter the norms of collection and delivery tasks?
Like diesel vehicles, N-VAN e: provides a spacious interior. Shimizu mentions that the loading capability is so convenient that his loading methods have been altered.
One particularly good aspect in terms of utility was that you could load a golf bag vertically. With previous light vehicles, it would hit the ceiling, so we had to load them horizontally. Additionally, the floor can be flattened up to the front passenger seat area, allowing long items such as a clothes drying pole over 170 cm to be loaded with ease. This was quite helpful.
The floor is low, and the ceiling is high. Retaining the cargo space of the N-VAN was one of the challenging aspects of electrification.
The N-VAN e: (prototype) features a simple white body that incorporates the corporate colors of the Yamato Group, along with an icon representing the battery. Shimizu shared that he could feel that the world was changing, through driving on the public roads.
During the verification period, while making deliveries, customers asked questions in an intrigued manner, such as “Does this run on batteries?” and students from the area commented, “The electric ‘N-VAN’ is already available!” It gave me a strong impression that society as a whole has high expectations for EVs.
The charging port being located in the front is also one of the features of the N-VAN e:. It was devised to avoid difficulty in opening and closing the sliding doors, which might occur if it were located on the side.
With the increasing opportunity to shop online, life has become much more convenient. On the other hand, the demand in the transportation industry, which delivers goods and products to us, has undergone rapid changes and expansion. Honda believes that through this verification, the new light commercial-use mini-EV has the potential to support the transportation industry by addressing its challenges.
Challenges surrounding the charging infrastructure and other aspects of EVs still exist, but the N-VAN e:, operating efficiently without putting a burden on the environment, has the potential to make the concept of a carbon-neutral world more widely recognized and accessible.
Original article issued on September 28, 2023
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The Nakano branch office (Tokyo), which participated in this practicality verification, is in an area with frequent loading and unloading of large quantities of packages. In addition to the Nakano branch office, the practicality verification is conducted at the Kiyohara branch office in Utsunomiya (Tochigi Prefecture), where the delivery distance per trip is long, and the Suma branch office in Kobe (Hyogo Prefecture), where there are many slopes. The verification has been ongoing since June 2023 in these three locations.