Renault Trucks electric trucks will soon be numerous on the roads

Electric trucks are becoming increasingly popular. We will soon see them in large numbers on the roads, here and elsewhere. In France, it is Renault Trucks which benefits from this.

Renault Trucks, a French company, even if it has belonged to the Swedish Volvo since 2001, competes with the Germans Daimler and Mercedes-Benz, the Dutch DAF, and the Italian Iveco. The electric truck is indeed a reality in the minds of large transporters and logisticians. It is now an integral part of their industrial strategy despite high selling prices.

Two sizes of trucks, for the road and for the city center

The French branch of the American group XPO Logistics – formerly Norbert Dentressangle – has just ordered around a hundred electric “tractors”. By tractor, we mean the motorized cabin which tows a semi-trailer, capable of pulling up to 44 tonnes. Name: Renault Trucks E-Tech, whose autonomy reaches between 200 and 300 kilometers. These models will be assembled in Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain) and should be delivered in two years.

This is not the first time that the American logistician has purchased French know-how. The XPO group, which bought Norbert Dentressangle in 2015, had already taken orders in early 2023 for smaller units: around sixty electric trucks capable of carrying loads of 15 to 20 tonnes and intended only for deliveries in city centers. For this type of short distance, the “last mile” of most deliveries, electric traction is ideal because it is much less polluting and quieter than conventional vehicles.

Investment in decarbonization

A Renault Trucks E-Tech costs around 300,000 euros per unit, while an equivalent model equipped with a thermal engine costs from 100,000 to 150,000 euros. It is also necessary to invest in installations to recharge the batteries. Fast 90-minute recharges require high-powered and very expensive investments. Normal recharges result in wait times of 10 or 11 hours for the worst performers. However, for carriers, time is money.

However, a balance must be found. Trucks on the roads can use the facilities and regain satisfactory autonomy during a one-hour break for the trucker. And these investments are essential for companies which must adapt as quickly as possible to the energy transition and decarbonize their activity.