Electric trucks and vans are an increasingly common site on roads across Europe and are key to the decarbonisation of transport.
From battery-powered cargo bikes to heavy-duty freight trucks the move to electric vehicles is gathering pace and Renault is one of the key e-mobility players in Europe. Renault Trucks held 24.2 per cent of registrations in the electric MHDV market in 2022 and in France the company has a 75 per cent market share in the electric MHDV market.
More than 1,000 medium-duty electric trucks were produced at the Renault Trucks plant in Blainville-sur-Orne last year and the company also produced more than 268 E-Tech Master electric light commercial vehicles.
Transport companies and local authorities across Europe have switched to electric vehicles. XPO in France has ordered 100 Renault electric trucks, the City of Barcelona, which purchased 73 Renault electric trucks for waste collection and street cleaning, Coca-Cola, which operates 30 Renault electric trucks for last-mile deliveries in Belgium, and Sepur, which has put 18 E-Tech D Wide Trucks into service to collect household waste from the 13th arrondissement of Paris. The company registered over 1,700 orders for electric vehicles in 2022 and the electric trucks in service have already travelled a total of 4 million km, which is equivalent to a saving of 3,200 tonnes of CO2.
Launch of a new all-EV heavy duty range in 2023 marks a major step forward by the company that is s now the only manufacturer to offer electric mobility for all uses: from 650 kg cargo bikes to 44 tonne EV tractors and construction trucks. These electric vehicles are part of the company’s full ecosystem for decarbonising transport which takes the form of tailor-made support for hauliers in their energy transition from the very first decision to decarbonise their fleet: from assessing and analysing needs to monitoring implementation and operation.
The adoption of a circular economic model is one of the pillars for decarbonising the transport industry. By extending the life of a used truck or part, Renault Trucks reduces the impact on natural resources by up to 80 per cent. This is a virtuous model based on three principles: regenerate, re-purpose and recycle. In 2022 the company extended the life of 345 vehicles in its customers’ fleets by reconditioning them in its Used Trucks Centre in Saint-Priest. The first fleet of reconditioned vehicles will be returned in mid-2023, which will enable Renault Trucks to evaluate this activity. The company also gave a second life to 132 used trucks, converted for new uses in its Used Trucks Factory in Bourg-en-Bresse.
Renault Trucks has undertaken to step up the decarbonisation of its activities to help keep the rise in global temperature below 1.5°C by the end of the century and it’s objectives are aligned with the Science Based Target initiative. The company is pursuing its ambition for 50 per cent of its sales to be EVs by 2030 and from 2040 onwards it will only sell trucks that are 100 per cent fossil free.
