- Renault companions with Volvo and French delivery big CMA CGM to co-develop a brand new electrical van for city deliveries.
- Due to its additional top, it affords significantly extra cargo room than a daily van its dimension and permits the driving force to stroll into the cargo space from the cab.
- It will likely be constructed on a brand new bespoke 800-volt industrial electrical car skateboard platform beginning in 2026.
European vans usually share comparable 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 novel and really French look that brings to thoughts a number of quirky previous vans from the nation’s previous, nevertheless it additionally maximizes cargo room for a car 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. Nevertheless, with its a lot greater roof (2.6 meters or 8.5 ft), it could 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 may also simply get up at the back of this van. This enables the driving force to freely stroll between the cab and the cargo space, making this a wonderful van for city deliveries. One other benefit is its turning circle, which Renault says is just like a Clio subcompact hatchback, and it ought to assist make it straightforward to drive in dense city areas with slim streets and many tight turns.
Underpinning the Estafette idea is a bespoke 800-volt electrical van platform known as FlexEVan platform, co-developed with Volvo and French delivery 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 supply superior effectivity in comparison with 400-volt electrical vans its dimension.
Renault says this unusual-looking van was designed with enter from skilled drivers to make their work lives simpler. For this reason the 2 facet doorways for accessing the cab are of the sliding selection in order that they do not want further house to open—that is invaluable for drivers and improves security when exiting the car, in addition to permitting them to cease and get out of the car 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 title. Nevertheless, not like 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 comparable retro-futuristic vibe about the way in which its exterior and inside are designed.
We don’t know the way comparable the completed manufacturing van will probably be to this idea, however when these begin populating European cities, they are going to be fairly the sight. They are going to stand out in an analogous strategy to the futuristic-looking Rivian-built Amazon supply vans within the U.S. right this moment.
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