Lambeth Council takes delivery of electric Renault Kangoo vans

Lambeth Council has taken delivery of six electric Renault Kangoo E-Tech vans, which contribute to its ongoing goal of electrifying 30 per cent of its landscapes division fleet. 

The new zero tailpipe-emissions-in-use Renault Kangoo E-Tech vans are the first to be purchased by the Council and complement an all-electric Renault Zoe E-Tech car, which was introduced into the fleet last year for use by the landscapes department’s tree inspector. The Renault Kangoo E-Tech vans, as with the Zoe E-Tech previously, all replace similarly sized diesel vehicles from another manufacturer. 

They are the first pure-electric Renault vans to be added to the landscape’s division fleet.

The Kangoo E-Tech vans will be used by the landscape division’s housing supervisors and mobile fitters for daily visits to council works across Lambeth’s 10.36 square miles. As well as helping to lower noise and air pollution across the borough, the vans provide Lambeth Council’s personnel with a more relaxing and convenient driving experience, the fully automatic transmission and instant torque being a welcome benefit in negotiating the often heavily congested inner London area.

As well as enabling Lambeth Council to help achieve its ambitions for a low-emission fleet, as outlined in its five-year Air Quality Action Plan, it chose the Kangoo E-Tech after an initial trial highlighted it to have sufficient range and size for the demands of the operational role. Compared to its previous diesel vans, and in addition to significant fuel savings, Lambeth Council will also benefit from lower servicing costs, less downtime for maintenance and exemption from any congestion charges.

Lambeth Council will charge its new all-electric Renault vans via 13 new 7kW smart chargers that it has installed across its five maintence depots located throughout the borough, including at its main site in Archbishops Park.

All the Kangoo E-Tech vans have been supplied in Business specification, which includes such standard features as electrically operated door mirrors and front windows, ABS with EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution), ESC (Electronic Stability Control) with Hill Start Assist, and DAB radio with Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

Robert Presnall, Lambeth Landscapes Transport Manager, said: “As a council that is striving to significantly improve air quality within our borough, we want to lead by example and have a low-emission fleet. For anything under 3.5t, we are now only considering electrified vehicles. The Kangoo E-Tech allows us to continue our focus on our local environment with no impact on our operational effectiveness. When you add in the lower running costs and the fact an electric van can be serviced in minutes, then it’s actually very hard to justify a diesel or petrol van of a similar size.

“The Kangoo E-Tech is perfect for what we need and for the area we operate in. It’s ideal for city traffic, has the space we require and provides a good level of comfort. We’ll certainly consider more Renault E-Tech models, and, with its range and refinement, the new Zoe Van E-Tech looks like it could be a good replacement for some of our diesel vehicles where a big payload isn’t an absolute necessity.”