Nissan and Mackie's of Scotland have teamed up on a concept ice cream van that ditches the big old diesel, so you don't have to suck down toxic fumes while enjoying a sweet treat. 

It's Clean Air Day in the UK and to celebrate Nissan the concept takes the e-NV200 light van - which is 100 per cent electric powered - and makes some modifications to become a clean, green, ice cream machine. 

That includes the addition of Nissan Energy ROAM (which goes on sale later in 2019), which is Nissan's second-life storage solution using batteries from old Nissan vehicles - like the Nissan Leaf. That means that the ice cream van has the power to run the refrigeration units and ice cream machines - something normally done by an idling diesel engine.

This concept packs solar panels into the roof of the van - able to recharge the ROAM in 2-4 hours via the sun - as well as serving ice cream from Mackie's of Scotland. Mackie's aims to be the UK's greenest company, powering its production via renewable energy sources and making its ice cream from natural products.

It's not all pie in the sky stuff either. Increasing environmental concerns - especially around air pollution in urban areas - have seen ice cream vans facing a bans and increasing operational costs. In London the introduction of the ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) has seen a daily charge on polluting ice cream vans - while some London councils have gone further and excluded the vans from some areas completely. 

The real problem is that during the summer, ice cream vans tend to loiter in areas with the van's engine running for hours. That might be parked outside a school or at a summer fête, and let's face it, those vans aren't exactly a model of modern clean diesel. It's also hugely bad for air quality in an area packed full of those most vulnerable to damage from poor air.

It's a concept, but the real takeaway points are this: the Nissan e-VN200 is an electric alternative for those last mile jobs - deliveries or trades that don't need huge range - while the ROAM battery sees those existing batteries put to good use and could provide a power source so you don't need to rely on a generator.

As for Mackie's of Scotland - now that's just good ice cream.