MT Awards 2021 winner - Technical Excellence Award in association with Hankook

The submission looked to highlight all the benefits that Renault’s ZE range offers to customers, but it is also an insight into the future of sustainable transport and a direct response to those customers seeking to lead in the drive to a zero carbon transport system.

The “grand shift to electromobility” has begun, Renault says, and has become a huge focus for the manufacturer in a pivotal year. The ZE range aims to demonstrate how operators can make confident steps on that journey.

The range goes from 3.1 tonnes to 26 tonnes including a low-entry cab version and offers operators the opportunity to address the distribution needs of customers operating in cities and the extended urban environment. Each model is factory built and fully type approved.

Main benefits to UK customers include zero tailpipe emissions and a quieter, smoother drive. Vehicles can be fully charged overnight in standard charge mode or for less than two hours in fast-charge mode.

The vehicle requires less maintenance and the energy guarantee allows operators to manage energy usage to extend operation up to 10 years under warranty within the service contract period.

Customers already signed up to the Renault ZE include DHL Supply Chain, XPO Logistics, Carlsberg, Veolia and Nestle. Our judges agreed that Renault’s entry offered a good working partnership. “What I like is that they’ve already built some and got them in operation,” one said.

Another said: “They’ve put themselves in the position with this range to offer their customers a serious choice of new-generation electric vehicles. They’ve looked across different operating environments, so they’ve got an offering for whatever you run.”

“It’s absolutely amazing – this Technical Excellence Award is 10 years of hard work”

Carlos Rodrigues, MD, Renault Trucks UK and Ireland