New electric Renault vans join Scottish Water and Fortnum & Mason fleets

Date: Wednesday, January 2, 2019 | Author: Sean Keywood

Scottish Water and Fortnum & Mason have added Renault Kangoo Z.E. electric vans to their fleets.

The water supplier has taken on a refrigerated Kangoo Z.E. 33, converted by Bott, for use with water sampling carried out by its scientific services team, along with a Z.E. 33 panel van for maintenance use.

The vans are the first electric vehicles adopted by Scottish Water, and are taking on the tasks most commonly performed by its small van fleet on a trial basis.

For retailer Fortnum & Mason, two new refrigerated Kangoo Z.E. 33s, for deliveries around London, replace a single Kangoo Z.E. which had been in use since 2015.

They are needed to make an average of 40 drops a day, seven days a week, and are part of a carbon reduction plan in place at the firm’s Picadilly store.

Scottish Water fleet manager Ross Shepherd said: “We have already lowered our carbon footprint by introducing drivers to fuel efficient techniques and awareness coaching, which has seen a 10-15% saving in fuel use, but the next big step is to evolve the electrification of our fleet and we believe the Kangoo Z.E. 33 to be the perfect vehicle for an electric vehicle trial. It’s a very big milestone for us.

“First impressions are already good and our sampling team are enjoying how easy it is to drive, while both vehicles are also performing well in terms of range and being up to the task.

“Being able to do our part to protect our local environment is upmost to us, but the cost savings we will make on fuel and maintenance will also enable us to invest in other areas that have a direct impact on the customer experience.”

Fortnum & Mason logistics manager David Woodruff said: “We are immensely proud of our heritage, but Fortnum’s has survived for 311 years by constantly innovating – and so we are always looking for new ways to progress, particularly when it comes to our sustainability strategies.

“The Renault Kangoo Z.E. will play a part in our drive towards more environmentally friendly operations. Since 2015 it has proved a valuable, reliable, and highly efficient asset and its electric drivetrain is perfect for the role.

“While the actual mileage our vans cover is low, the driving conditions are demanding, but the Kangoo Z.E. overcomes a lot of the issues you would have with a conventionally-engined van, while also being significantly cheaper to run and maintain.”

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