Renault has announced it will begin direct sales of the Kangoo Z.E. (Zero Emissions) compact van in Australia in November this year.
The French importer made the announcement yesterday as interest in fully electrtic vehicles -particularly those in the urban delivery space – gathers.
“Bringing the Renault Kangoo Z.E. to Australia has been a long-held goal for us,” said Elena Woods, Senior Model Line Manager for Electric Vehicles at Renault Australia. “We are really excited to offer our customers the opportunity to make a giant step forward in terms of innovative transportation.
“Our success in Europe and the strength of the Renault-Nissan Alliance will serve us well, as we launch a new generation of electric vehicles into the Australian market. The Kangoo Z.E. has been in demand for some time and we have now secured supplies that will certainly give operators the perfect work vehicle,” Mrs Woods added.
The Renault Kangoo Z.E. is a pioneering electric van that incorporates a wealth of innovation, designed to better meet customer requirements and environmental targets. To date, more than 25,000 examples have been sold in Europe to a wide range of users, making it the most popular battery-powered van, with 34.5% of Europe’s E.V. (electric vehicle) commercial market. It has been the best seller in its segment in the six years since its European launch.
Mr Gilles Normand, Senior Vice President and the global head of the Electric Vehicle Business Unit for Renault said: “As the European standard-bearer in the realm of all-electric mobility, Renault is continually improving and refining its electric vehicles to extend operating range and make charging as simple as possible for its customers. The technological innovations built into the Kangoo Z.E. – a new high energy density battery mated to a new motor, plus a heat pump and a new charger that is twice as powerful as before – have resulted in a driving range gain of more than 50 percent, along with a faster, simpler charging process.”
\The new Kangoo Z.E.’s driving range is now 270km, as measured on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). This is equivalent to 200km in real-world summer-climate driving. This compares with 170km under the NEDC achieved with the earlier version.
This extended range is thanks to the Kangoo Z.E.’s new, high-efficiency battery, promising a 50 percent range increase compared to the previous battery. It also comprises a new motor, which delivers greater efficiency along with a new on-board charging system delivering faster recovery.
The new battery, mated to the new motor and incorporated with a heat pump all combine to produce the best driving range in the electric LCV (light commercial vehicle) market.
Charging the Kangoo Z.E. is also faster and easier. Its battery can now be fully charged in as little as six hours, while a one-hour lunch break allows enough time to add a 35km top-up, helping users to optimise their working day.
Ashwani Gupta, Senior Vice President and global head of the Renault-Nissan Light Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, said: “Renault Pro+ tops the market when it comes to electric LCV sales in Europe, with a 29.5 percent market share as of end-May 2017.
“Our brand consistently strives to meet and exceed the expectations of its business customers. With the Kangoo Z.E., Renault Pro+ has shifted the goalposts in terms of driving range in this fast-growing sector (up 16 percent at end May 2017), while continuing to provide additional bespoke services and solutions,” he said.
Meantime it has also been revealed that the new managing director of Renault’s Australian operations will be former Suzuki and Honda executive, Andrew Moore. Moore will join the company to replace Justin Hocevar who had steered the French brand to great heights in recent years, before leaving the company last month, apparently with a desire to stay in Australia for family reasons after the company offered him an overseas posting.
