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RENAULT TRUCKS COMMITS TO DIESEL – AND ELECTRIC Renault Trucks is investing heavily to develop a future that combines both diesel power and electric drivelines, reports Dan Gilkes for Export & Freight. to bring about change,” said managing director Carlos Rodrigues.
The company is spending €33m on a new research and development site in Lyon, France, that will open in 2021. Once completed, the site will become the second largest R&D centre within the Volvo Group.
“Renault Trucks is doing this through the tailoring of vehicles to customers’ applications, developments in automation and connectivity and increasing use of vehicle data to improve vehicle operation and customer service.”
“We strongly believe that diesel is and will stay the best solution for long distance trucks for years to come,” said Jean-Claude Bailly, senior vice president of Renault Trucks Europe. “But, for us, the future will be electric.” Renault Trucks has already launched the Master Z.E. van and chassis cab, along with its own D Z.E. and D-Wide Z.E. truck lines, giving the firm an electric offering from 3.126 tonnes GVW. The first Master Z.E. has been delivered to a UK customer and the D Z.E. order book will open towards the end of the year for deliveries early in 2020.
Managing Director Carlos Rodrigues.
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Renault D-Wide Z.E.
“As society’s environmental consciousness grows, so does the responsibility of the industry to harness new technologies
Closer to home, Renault Trucks is keen to build its presence in the market, where it currently captures around 5% of the medium and heavy truck sector in the UK and 9% in Ireland. The manufacturer and its dealers will invest £30m over the next five years in improvements to the UK and Ireland network. That will include recruiting more than 100 people during the next four years, a process that is being supported by the establishment this year of a sales academy. The company and the network also currently
