Renault & GEODIS Developing 16-Tonne Electric Truck For Urban Logistics

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Project Oxygen will combine the industrial, logistics, and engineering expertise of Renault Trucks and GEODIS to develop an electric truck ideally suited for city centre freight transport. (Image courtesy of Renault.)

Renault Trucks believes that vehicles with a tonnage over 3.5 tonnes (3.85 U.S. tons) will remain at the core of urban distribution, yet the company also sees how changing emission regulations, access restrictions, and new modes of pedestrian mobility have altered the requirements for city centre freight transport. To address the changing landscape of urban logistics, Renault Trucks is collaborating with GEODIS, a global logistics company, to develop a new 16-t (17.6 U.S. t) electric urban truck.

“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,” says Marie-Christine Lombard, chief executive officer of GEODIS. “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.”

Lower Barriers To Entry

Renault and GEODIS cite overall cost as key to gaining widespread adoption with alternative power trucks, so one prerequisite of the new design is that the electric urban truck must offer a comparable total cost of ownership to a diesel vehicle. The project, named “Oxygen,” will also focus on developing technology to let the truck more easily co-exist with road users. As such, the early phases of development will include designing a lowered cab, large windscreen, and multiple cameras to improve visibility. Renault and GEODIS are working with a specialist bodybuilder to design a new body installation that improves loading and unloading operations in urban settings. Logistics delivery will also be improved using connected route optimisation tools.

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Renault’s electric truck concept is designed for easy ingress and egress to reduce driver fatigue during frequent delivery stops. (Image courtesy of Renault.)

The Development Plan

By the end of this year, Renault and GEODIS expect to deliver of a prototype, and starting in 2023, the companies hope to start urban delivery trials. The real-world testing will include a study to optimise the total cost of ownership. Project Oxygen will also help GEODIS meet its ambition to provide carbon-free deliveries to 37 cities in France by 2023.

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Source: Renault