Silent treatment

RENAULT D Z.E GIVES GLIMPSE OF FUTURE

This week’s road test is a bit different because we’re driving a truck – an electric truck, to be exact. The vehicle in question is a Renault

D Z.E 16-tonner.

It’s the same type bread firm Warburtons has used for deliveries in London since last autumn.

I’m old enough to be able to drive trucks up to 7.5 tonnes on a car licence but I don’t have an HGV class 2 (or whatever it is called these days) so my test drive in the Renault took place off the public road.

The last Renault truck I drove was a Magnum tractor unit with a box trailer on the back and that was on a public road. Ever since that experience – during which I nearly crushed a Ford Fiesta – I’ve had huge respect for those who drive these big machines for a living.

I did regularly drive trucks when I worked at a timber yard many lives ago, and I loved the high seating position. They were old Bedford TKS and very basic indeed.

The Renault looks totally modern inside with an extremely comfortable and well sprung seat. You could be in a car if it weren’t for the larger steering wheel. Lurking under the box body of our 4x2 rigid sits a

200kw 600-volt lithium ion battery pack. This stack of energy powers an electric motor that has a maximum continuous power output of 130kw with a maximum output of 185kw.

Maximum torque is 425Nm – doesn’t sound that big, but the Renault’s motor drives through a two-speed gearbox which massively aids acceleration.

Gone are the old concepts of twin-splitter transmissions and exhaust brakes.

Operating the D Z.E couldn’t be more simple. At the press of a button the dashboard comes alive and then, after the system carries out a few checks, you simply press a button with a D on it. Your get virtually silent motion, how wonderful.

Also at this test event was a dustbin lorry (sorry, environmental solution providing unit) that also runs on a Renault electric Z.E chassis and powertrain.

As someone who is woken every Thursday morning at 6.30 by a diesel refuse truck, I cannot wait for electric versions to hit our streets.

To the left-hand side of the steering column is what looks like an indicator stalk. But it’s the control for the regenerative braking system. Electric cars tend to use paddles behind their steering wheels or rocker switches on the wheel itself; this neat stalk is a far more sensible solution. Not least because you use it a lot in the Renault to regulate your speed down hills and approaching traffic lights.

There’s a couple of tonnes of dummy load in the back but the D

Z.E feels pretty sprightly. The truck’s range is around 90 miles – more than enough for urban delivery work (or refuse collection). The truck can charge at up to 150kw which means a 0-80% charge could be managed in about an hour and a half.

Electrifying heavy goods vehicles will have a big impact on all our lives, but as with all EVS, it’s down to the Government to put proper grants in place and, above all, a comprehensive charging network.