Europe: Deutsche Post road tests 12 new Renault electric vehicles

Deutsche Post DHL is road testing 12 new Renault Kangoo Z.E. electric cars with lithium ion batteries for combined deliveries.

Deutsche Post road tests 12 new Renault electric vehicles
Deutsche Post DHL is road testing 12 new Renault Kangoo Z.E. electric vehicles with lithium ion batteries for combined deliveries. As part of the “E-mobility in commuter traffic” pilot project, the vehicles will transport letters and small packages in the Rhine-Ruhr area until the end of 2011. By using these electric vehicles, Deutsche Post DHL and the car maker Renault are trialing the operational suitability of electric vehicles for commercial fleet operations. RWE Effizienz GmbH is responsible for supplying vehicle power via electric charging points. The focus is particularly on battery development, road handling and the safety of the virtually silent vehicles, especially in inner city areas and pedestrian zones. For combined transport, the vehicles must for example be able to cope with heavy stop-start traffic and achieve a given range.

“Due to its electric drive train, the Renault Kangoo Z.E. is quiet and fuel-free, and also 100 percent CO2 neutral as it uses green power. This will help reduce air and noise pollution in inner city areas and pedestrian zones. The joint pilot project with Renault is an important part of our Group-wide GoGreen environmental protection program, which includes the practical testing and use of alternative vehicles,” says Joachim Wessels, Member of the Mail Divisional Board at Deutsche Post DHL.

Deutsche Post DHL was the first global logistics provider to set itself a specific climate protection target. Under the company’s GoGreen program the aim to improve CO2 efficiency by 30% by 2020 compared with 2007 – amongst other things as a result of the more efficient management of its traffic flows, the modernization of its transport fleet and the use of renewable energy sources.

The Renault vehicles are powered by a fully electric drive train with Li-Ion batteries. The range of up to 160 kilometers for a fully loaded vehicle is sufficient for use as a combined delivery vehicle. At the delivery centers in the Rhine-Ruhr area, charging stations have been installed where the batteries can be recharged overnight.
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