RENAULT TO SELL E-TRUCKS THIS YEAR
“Electromobility is the cornerstone of Renault Trucks’ strat“egy for a sustainable urban transport.
RENAULT Trucks has announced that it will launch a range of electric vehicles in 2019. This range capitalizes on the experience gleaned from ten years of testing electric trucks in real-life conditions with its customer-partners.
These all- electric trucks are designed for use in urban and periurban areas, and will be produced at the Renault Trucks plant at Blainville-sur- Orne in Normandy, France.
Electromobility is the cornerstone of Renault Trucks’ strategy for a sustainable urban transport. Zeroemission vehicles help improve air quality, curb climate change, and also reduce congestion, thanks to noisefree out-of-hours deliveries. Tomorrow, electric trucks will be simply indispensable for city center access.
Renault Trucks has been investing heavily in electromobility research and development since 2009, focusing on extensive field testing in partnership with its customers. Real-world tests on various types of experimental full- electric 12-16 ton trucks – Speed Distribution for Guerlain, Stef for Carrefour, Nestlé and the Delanchy Group – have provided Renault Trucks with vital information on conditions of use, battery behavior, recharging fa- cilities, and specific maintenance requirements for electric trucks.
In addition to these experimental vehicles, a 4.5-ton electric truck has been on the market since 2010: the Electric Maxity: “Our commercial experience with the Electric Maxity has enabled us to bring our network up to speed on selling, servicing and repairing electric vehicles,” explained François Savoye, who is in charge of Renault Trucks’ energy efficiency strategy. “Today’s electric vehicles are a competitive solution, which was not the case in 2010.”
In addition to the great strides made in understanding customer uses and market requirements, Renault Trucks is able to take advantage of the impressive research and development resources offered by the Volvo Group, benefiting from tried and tested technology, and harnessing synergy between different entities working on all- electric vehicle development such as buses. Thanks to these economies of scale, Renault Trucks is now in a position to market a cost- effective range of vehicles for its customers in 2019.
A dedicated assembly line for allelectric trucks is being installed at Renault Trucks’ Blainville-sur- Orne plant in Normandy.