Renault Trucks shows fully electric commercial vehicles

D he French Truck manufacturer Renault Trucks, part of the Volvo Group, recently announced the launch of the second generation of fully electric trucks. Visitors to IAA 2018 can discover these trucks for inner-city traffic at the Renault Trucks stand. Here the commercial vehicle manufacturer presents a Renault Master Z.E. also a D Wide Z.E. with waste collection structure and a Z.E. D for distribution transport.

The Renault Master Z.E. competes in the 3.1 ton class and should be particularly suitable for deliveries in the last mile area. The vehicle can drive into all urban zones, even those with restricted access. The complete charging time of the 33 kWh lithium ion battery is six hours. According to the NEDC, the range is 200 kilometers, the real range should be around 120 kilometers. The loading volume of the Renault Master Z.E. is on par with its diesel counterparts. The Renault Master Z.E. is available in a total of six versions (four panel van and two platform chassis models). The Master is powered by a 57 kW and 225 Nm electric motor that drives the Master Z.E. Accelerated to up to 100 km /h.

Truck with a real range of up to 300 km

The D Z.E. will be available in a 16-ton version for inner-city and especially for temperature-controlled transport. Wheelbases of 4,400 mm and 5,300 mm are offered. It is powered by a 185 kW and 425 Nm electric motor in combination with a two-speed gearbox. The real range of the D Z.E.models should be up to 300 kilometers, depending on the battery size (200 to 300 kWh).

The D Wide Z.E. comes to a permissible total weight of 26 tons and is equipped with a 6x2 electric drive. Here two electric motors with a total output of 370 kW and 850 Nm provide propulsion. With its 200 kWh lithium-ion battery, a real range of 200 kilometers should be possible.

The lithium-ion batteries of the Renault Trucks D Z.E. and the Renault Trucks D Wide Z.E. can be fully charged in one to two hours via a 150 kW combo plug. A night charge with alternating current takes about 12 hours with a 300 kWh battery. A high-voltage socket (380V, 32 A) is sufficient for this.

The vehicles Renault Trucks D and Renault Trucks D Wide Z.E. are made in the Blainville-sur-Orne production facility and will be launched in 2019. The Renault Master Z.E. will be available from September 2018. The Z.E. models were previously in a ten-yearTest phase in cooperation with customers and tested under real operating conditions.

However, Renault Trucks intends to continue to use diesel engines for long-distance transport. Here, however, the energy efficiency of diesel trucks should be further improved.