- Renault companions with Volvo and French transport big CMA CGM to co-develop a brand new electrical van for city deliveries.
- Due to its further top, it gives significantly extra cargo room than an everyday van its measurement and permits the driving force to stroll into the cargo space from the cab.
- Will probably be constructed on a brand new bespoke 800-volt business electrical automobile skateboard platform beginning in 2026.
European vans usually share related shapes and proportions, however Renault goals to revolutionize their look with the manufacturing model of the Estafette idea. It previews a manufacturing electrical van set to debut in 2026, and its design not solely offers it a singular and really French look that brings to thoughts a number of quirky outdated vans from the nation’s previous, however it additionally maximizes cargo room for a automobile with its footprint.
The Estafette idea is about the identical size as the Renault Kangoo L2 (4.87 meters or 16 ft), and it has the identical most payload of 1 ton or 2,200 kilos. Nonetheless, with its a lot greater roof (2.6 meters or 8.5 ft), it might carry significantly taller objects. This ups its most cargo quantity from that of a Kangoo L2’s 4.2 cubic meters (148 cubic ft) to 7.1 cubic meters (250 cubic ft).
You can too simply arise behind this van. This permits the driving force to freely stroll between the cab and the cargo space, making this a superb van for city deliveries. One other benefit is its turning circle, which Renault says is much like a Clio subcompact hatchback, and it ought to assist make it simple to drive in dense city areas with slender streets and plenty of tight turns.
Underpinning the Estafette idea is a bespoke 800-volt electrical van platform referred to as FlexEVan platform, co-developed with Volvo and French transport big CMA CGM. Renault hasn’t introduced the specs for the upcoming manufacturing Estafette, however operating on 800 volts will permit it to cost faster and provide superior effectivity in comparison with 400-volt electrical vans its measurement.
Renault says this unusual-looking van was designed with enter from skilled drivers to make their work lives simpler. Because of this the 2 aspect doorways for accessing the cab are of the sliding selection in order that they do not want further area to open—that is invaluable for drivers and improves security when exiting the automobile, in addition to permitting them to cease and get out of the automobile in very tight areas.
Like the brand new Renault 5, which revives a beloved historic nameplate, the brand new Estafette evokes the 1959 van with the identical identify. Nonetheless, in contrast to the 5, whose design mirrors the unique and brings it updated with a contemporary twist, the brand new Estafette van bears no resemblance to the unique, though there’s a related retro-futuristic vibe about the best way its exterior and inside are designed.
We don’t understand how related the completed manufacturing van can be to this idea, however when these begin populating European cities, they are going to be fairly the sight. They’ll stand out in the same solution to the futuristic-looking Rivian-built Amazon supply vans within the U.S. right now.
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