Today Renault announced that they will build the electric version of the Kangoo Express LCV at their MCA (Maubeuge Carrosserie Automobile) plant in northern France, beginning in the second half of 2011. That’s the same plant that currently produces the non-electric Kangoo, Kangoo Express, and Kangoo be bop. The announcement wasn’t a big surprise, since Renault hasn’t made it any secret that they plan to keep the center of their electric vehicle operations in France.
Renault plans to market the electric Kangoo LCV to urban professionals who want to lessen their impact on the environment. They will highlight the Kangoo’s “excellent” total cost of ownership (TCO), hoping to make it an attractive option for fleet operators and to individual drivers. Renault, and their technology-sharing partner, Nissan, also plan to launch a complete range of zero-emissions electric vehicles in 2011, keeping their focus on the affordability of the entire line-up.
The concept precursors to the production-intent electric Kangoo were the Kangoo be bop Z.E. and the Kangoo Z.E. (Z.E. meaning “zero emissions”). Both concepts were unveiled within the past eighteen months, and both feature a 70kW electric motor paired with a lithium-ion battery. Technical specifications for the production-intent Kangoo ZE are still unavailable, but we’ll keep you updated.
Source: Renault
