Renault Trucks and Geodis join forces to design an electric heavy truck dedicated to urban logistics, meeting the requirements of city-center freight transport. With a complete range of electric vehicles manufactured in France ranging from 3.5 to 26 tonnes, Renault Trucks has been working for ten years on reducing the environmental footprint of city logistics. Geodis, whose ambition is to reduce its CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030, has undertaken to provide carbon-free deliveries to 37 cities in France by 2023.
Through their new collaboration, the constructor and its logistics partner are combining their know-how to develop a brand new 16-tonne electric urban truck, at a comparable cost (TCO2) to that of a diesel vehicle, which is a prerequisite for the widespread adoption of alternative power units.
Marie-Christine Lombard, Chief Executive Officer of Geodis, said: “The environmental emergency combined with the growth of e-Commerce and the implementation of low-emission zones in major French cities mean that we urgently need to step up the decarbonisation of transport. This is the objective of GEODIS in forming this partnership with Renault Trucks. We want to quickly provide concrete answers to the issue of sustainable urban logistics.”
Bruno Blin, president of Renault Trucks, added: “We have noticed that the image of the truck is changing; at last, it is being perceived as an indispensable tool. The purpose of the project, in which Renault Trucks is working alongside GEODIS, is to design a truck that will seamlessly blend into the urban landscape, among other road users in areas with traffic and even in pedestrian zones. This new truck will be designed for the driver’s working comfort and safety, and for the safety of city dwellers.”
This vehicle, with project name Oxygen, will make it possible to integrate all the requirements and functions of city-center delivery: elimination of nuisances such as pollution and noise, and improvement of active and passive safety in order to better manage co-existence with all road users (pedestrians and people using soft modes of transport).
Delivery of the prototype is scheduled for the end of 2022. It will be produced at Renault Trucks’ site in Blainville-sur-Orne, France, the first European plant to manufacture series production electric trucks since 2020. The truck will be trialed for urban deliveries in Paris, starting in 2023. This real-world testing will be followed by a phase of adaptation of the vehicle incorporating feedback from drivers covering comfort of use, practicality, recharging, etc., and then by a study to optimize the total cost of ownership.
