Auto Express – August 20, 2019

22 SpecialIssue http://www.autoexpress.co.uk

SOLEROPANEL

Roof-mountedpanels charge
up concept’sbattery thatpowers
the various icecream machines

suppliesinareaswhereicecreamvanscongregate?

CouncillorMartinTett,environmentspokesmanforthe

LocalGovernmentAssociation,whichrepresentscouncils

inEnglandandWales,says:“Theavailabilityofelectric

powerpointsinpublicplaceswillbedrivenbylocal

marketsanddifferentneedsforpowersupplyinfrastructure.

Councilswillworkwithbusinessesonsuch issues,butall

areaswillrespondinawaythatsuitslocalcircumstances.”

Tettwarns,however,that“alackoflong-termfundingis

aclearbarriertosuch investment.Governmentneedsto

addressthisintheforthcomingSpendingReview.”

Withicecreamvansnumberingafewthousand,and

solutionstoapermanentlyrunningdieselenginealready

inexistence,cleaninguptheindustrymustbeaneasywin

forauthorities–assumingthefundsareinplace.Ifthatcan

bedone,weshouldallbeabletoenjoypollution-freeice

cream.ItshouldbepossibletohaveourFlakeandeatit.

“Governmentneeds to address

the lack of public electric power

points in the Spending Review”

MARTIN TETTLocal GovernmentAssociation

THE VANTHATCAN

It’s an e-NV200,but notasweknowit.

Its124-mile range is unaffected by the

independentEnergy Roam system

INSIDE STORY Fume-freeicecreams

bebasedonEuro6-compliantvehicles,though,andno
oneissuggestingicecreamvansshouldbebanned
fromourparksandplaygrounds.Butwithsomuchfocus
onemissions,andemissionsfromolderdieselengines
inparticular,parentsmaybesurprisedtolearnthat
decades-olddieselvansareallowedtoruntheirenginesas
theysellaproductthatisparticularlyattractivetochildren.

HerecomestheTwist-er
Nissan’sicecreamvanversionofitse-NV200isan
excellentconcept,butitremainsjustthat:aconcept.
Therearenoplanstoputitintoproduction.Sofornow
atleast,theonlyviablepowerplantforicecreamvans
isthetraditionalinternalcombustionengine.
That’snottosaytheindustryisstandingstill,
though.Theworld’sleadingicecreamvanmanufacturer,
Cheshire-basedWhitbyMorrison,iscurrentlydeveloping
afullyelectricon-boardbatterysystemthatcanpower
soft-scoopmachinesandotherassociatedequipment.
Whichmeansthatthevan’senginecanbeturnedoff
whenit’sparked.Thefirmhopestoputthissystem
intoproductionbytheendoftheyear.
Anduntilthatsystemcomestomarket,Whitby
MorrisonbuildsallofitsnewvansonaEuro6-compliant
MercedesSprinterchassis,whichmeetsthelatestrules
forparticulatesandNOxemissions.
Furthermore,thefirmfitsanelectricmotor-drivesystem
(EMD)to80percentofthevansitbuilds.Thisallowsthe
ice-creamvendortoswitch offtheirdieselengineand
plugintothemainstoruntheirfreezersandMrWhippy
machines.TheseEMDsystemscanalsoberetrofitted
toallexistingvans,whichisgreatnewsintheory.
Hereinliesaproblem:theoutdoorandmobilenature
oftheicecreamvan’spatch,especiallythoseinscenic
locations,meanspoweroutletsaren’talwaysavailable.
ButgiventhatEVchargepointsarepoppingupinalmost
everycarparkandstreetcorner,surelyitcan’tbebeyond
thewitoflocalauthoritiestorunsomesecurepower