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Headline : Nissan Whips Up UK's First Carbon Free Ice Cream Van That Tweets Instead Of Playing Jingles
Caption : Nissan has unveiled the first zero-emission electric ice cream van in the UK, which will use twitter to broadcast its location in order to entice customers instead of playing traditional jingles.

The new design is powered by a mixture of solar energy and second-life battery storage as the manufacturer looks to offset the amount of carbon emissions produced by its vehicles currently in use.

The equipment in the van will be powered by the Nissan Energy Roam system, which is a portable power pack made from used lithium batteries from first-generation Nissan electric cars.

This pack gathers energy from a solar panel on the roof of the van and can be recharged via a mains supply to power the on-board drinks fridge, freezer drawer and soft-serve machine.

Instead of relying on an idling diesel engine, its motor will be driven on a 40kwh battery which allows it to reach a 124-mile driving range between charges.

Unlike traditional ice cream vendors, customers will be served from a hatch outside of the vehicle and will be enticed to buy the treats by a tweet detailing the van’s precise location.

The vendor will dispense the ice cream standing next to the van to consumers who will have the option to use contactless payment via a ‘tap-to-pay’ panel.

Conventional ice cream vans have been criticised for producing harmful emissions, such as black carbon, by leaving their diesel engines running in order to power their refrigeration equipment.

The car giant says that its prototype, which is based on the Nissan e-NV200 electric van, will help vendors reduce their carbon footprint by limiting “harmful tailpipe emissions”.

Kalyana Sivagnanam, managing director of Nissan Motor, said: “Ice cream is enjoyed the world over, but consumers are increasingly mindful of the environmental impact of how we produce such treats, and the ‘last mile’ of how they reach us.

“This project is a perfect demonstration of Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility strategy, applying more than a decade of EV experience and progress in battery technology to create cleaner solutions for power on the go – in ways customers might not expect.

“By eliminating harmful tailpipe emissions, and increasing our use of renewable energy, we can help make this a better world for everyone.”

Nissan partnered with Mackie’s of Scotland, an ice cream producer powering its family-owned dairy farm by renewable wind and solar energy, on the project to celebrate ‘Clean Air Day’ on June 20.

The prototype is currently being trialled in Southampton, with the hope of a national release if there is enough demand for the new model.
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