The Kangoo might not be the most exciting vehicle on the road, but it’s played a significant role in cementing Renault’s position in the electric vehicle market.
Renault first entered the electric van market in 1985 with an electric version of the Express, powered by nickel-zinc batteries. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that Renault’s electric dreams took centre stage, though, beginning with the Kangoo.
With the Kangoo serving as an invaluable testing platform for what was to come after, Renault came to market with both electric and hybrid versions as early as 2002. Each innovation allowed Renault to gather expertise and experience with EVs, from both a design and production perspective, as well as a maintenance one. During this early phase, a dedicated team, dubbed ‘flying doctors’, would visit customers to analyse, maintain and enhance the vehicles already on the roads.
The Renault Kangoo ZE debuted in 2011, paving the way for the electrified van segment of the market, having been the first pure electric van to win the title of ‘international van of the year’.
Since those early days, the Kangoo has continued to perform well, and the latest model — the Kangoo E-Tech — becoming the best-selling electric van in history. The Maubeuge factory in France has produced more than 90,000 units of the Kangoo E-Tech alone, with that figure jumping to 100,000 units when including vehicles produced for manufacturing partners.
The 90,000th Kangoo E-Tech Powers TIBCO’s Fleet Update
The transition towards more environmentally-friendly fleets has been high on the agenda for some companies since well before it became a regulatory issue.
TIBCO, a company renowned for its eco-conscious ethos, is updating its vehicles, with around half of the 960-strong fleet transitioning to pure electric. The renewed eco-friendly fleet will comprise of 198 Renault ZOE, 29 Kangoo E-Tech Electric, and 28 Megane E-Tech Electric vehicles.
Forging such strong partnerships with EV-focused customers like TIBCO is crucial to Renault, as it allows the manufacturer to continue to gather expertise from consistent real-world feedback and increase its share of the EV market, giving Renault a competitive advantage over some rivals.
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