La Poste orders 10,000 electric vehicles from Renault
La Poste has placed an order for 10,000 electric vehicles from Renault, as part of a government initiative designed to spur on the low-carbon drivetrain technology. The French postal service is among 19 public and private sector public service organisations who will buy and test out 15,637 Renault Kagoo ZE vehicles and 3,074 Peugeot Ion vehicles over the next four years under the initiative.
La Poste Group chairman Jean-Paul Bailly has been leading the group tasked by French ministers back in April 2010 to bring together public and private organisations for a major procurement and evaluation project for “carbon-free” vehicle technologies.
After considering the options through a competitive dialogue process, the bulk of the order was placed with french manufacturer Renault, with a smaller order for Peugeot, for their light commercial electric vehicles.
A further phase of the planned procurement, expected to involve 3,937 vehicles for use in state services, is yet to be decided.
La Poste said hopes were that the project would prompt a “ripple effect” across the entire electric vehicle industry, spurring on a wider acceptance of the technology and allowing France to take on a leading role in the international development of electric vehicles.
Renault
The Renault Kagoo went on sale earlier this month, with a EUR 15,000 price tag that is kept low because the battery is rented separately to the purchase of the vehicle
Renault confirmed that La Poste will order 10,000 of its Kangoo ZE models through the process, having taken part in a lengthy competitive bidding process.
The Kangoo ZE is the manufacturer’s first full-electric van, and has been available to order only since September 30, priced at EUR 15,000 not including VAT or government environmental subsidies. Renault states that the vehicle has a range of about 170km (105 miles) depending on driving conditions.
The relative low cost of the Kangoo ZE vehicle is helped by a purchase plan in which the vehicle batteries, the major expense in electric vehicles at present, are leased rather than purchased, with a subscription of about EUR 72 per month for the battery over a three-year period.
Built in the Renault factory at Mauberge, close to the French border with Belgium, the vehicle made its first appearance in showrooms last week.
J Stoll, executive vice president for light commercial vehicles at Renault, said the order confirmed the relevance of his company’s electric vehicles for business customers.
“The 19 large companies acquiring the Kangoo ZE were attracted to its intrinsic qualities and by our original business model, based in particular on battery rental.”
