Renault Trucks expects 10% of all its new vehicle sales to be full electric within three years, with the UK leading the take-up in Europe, and exceeding this figure.
“In fact, we feel that a quarter of all our sales [in the UK] could be electric by 2025,” said Renault Trucks UK MD Carlos Rodriguez. “The technology is ready. We can decarbonise 50% of road freight today with the vehicles we have, and we have a new battery generation coming next year.”
His sentiments are echoed by Andrew Scott, head of electric mobility and product management, who says the conversations he is having with perspective customers have changed considerably since taking up his role 18 months ago. He said: “The conversations are more mature than they were. People are saying ‘I get the concept, tell me how I can make it work’. There is increased confidence in the product, and the direction of travel is clear.”
Scott said Renault has learned plenty from being first to market with electric trucks, which has allowed it to refine its products and services accordingly. “We have the data now that enables us to be proactive, more progressive and more positive about the offer we are putting out to customers,” he explained.
This includes increasing its battery promise by a further 20%, equating to a guarantee of 300MWh of delivered energy for a typical 265kWh medium-duty zero tailpipe emissions truck.
While Renault’s electric product range is growing, and currently includes 16-, 18- and 26-tonners, Scott said there is a fly in the ointment. “But it’s not around the product, it’s around the infrastructure and energy,” he said. “We need to try and build awareness of this and get government to appreciate just how fundamental this is to what we can do.”
