L
yon Metropole has
been handed the keys
to a 100 per cent
electric 26-tonne
Renault Range D Wide
ZE refuse collection vehicle – the
first of the second generation of
Renault’s electric trucks.
Made in the manufacturer’s
Blainville-Sur-Orne plant in
Normandy, the vehicle was put into
service in Meyzieu within the Lyon
metropolitan area in June.
Renault said it is backing
electromobility as the answer to the
problematic issue of air quality and
noise pollution in urban areas, and
one of the solutions to reducing
global CO 2 emissions.
“Electric mobility is at the core ofthe energy strategy we have
implemented to meet EU
regulations aimed at significantly
reducing the CO 2 emissions of
vehicles over 16 tonnes,” said
Renault Trucks CEO, Bruno Blin.
Developed with assistance from
the French Environment & Energy
Management Agency (ADEME),
this Range D Wide ZE refuse
collection truck is the first
pre-production vehicle of Renault’s
range of electric trucks, which is
due to be launched onto the
market at the end of 2019.
Renault said refuse collection is
an application for which electrical
technology is particularly well
suited. The operating cycles of
refuse collection vehicles include agood deal of stopping and
restarting (300 to 800 times for
each collection round), resulting in
high fuel consumption and
significant dust and particle
emissions linked to the rapid wear
of the braking system.
As electric vehicles mainly use
their engines to slow down, use of
brakes and the production of
related emissions are both
reduced. For a Euro 6 truck,
particulate emissions linked to
abrasion (the wear of tyres and
brakes) are higher than emissions
linked to fuel use.
The 26-tonne D Wide ZE
features an electric engine in the
wheelbase which provides the
interface between the truck and its
equipment. The vehicle has been
converted by Faun Environnement,
which coupled a hydraulic pump to
the standard interface to power the
refuse collection system.
Faun Environnement optimised
both the bodywork and its mass
to compensate for the weight of
the batteries.
The bodywork specialist also
altered the hydraulic circuit to
reduce noise levels and
soundproofed the rear section to
confine the noise created by falling
waste to within the trailer. These
changes have enabled noise levels
to be reduced by 3 db.Electric D Wide ZE gets to work in Lyon
http://www.truckingmag.co.ukwww.truckingmag.co.uk August 2019 TRUCKING 15T
he European road
transport arm of
Imperial Logistics has
“significantly” increased
its business with Dutch
independent car manufacturer VDL
Nedcar, following a renewal of its
previous contract to operate trailers
carrying automotive components
between the company’s plant at Born
(Netherlands) and southern England.
Imperial has worked with VDL
Nedcar since 2014. Under the new
contract, it will now handle round-trip
movements between Born and
southwest Germany, as well as
increasing existing UK round trips.
Services will be operated using
dedicated tractors and trailers,
supplemented when required with
capacity on Imperial’s shared-uservehicles already operating to and
from the UK.
To accommodate the additional
VDL Nedcar work, Imperial said it is
adding 20 further vehicles to its
fleet, and employing additional
drivers and a transport coordinator.
Up to 40 trucks and 115 trailers
will be deployed on the contract at
any one time.
To facilitate fast turnarounds and
efficient use of vehicles and space,
Imperial trailers are positioned at
the Born plant’s trailer yard so full
units can be dropped for
unloading, and empty units can be
taken away immediately.
All shipments and vehicle
movements will be coordinated
through a central control tower,
which will receive real-time locationImperial Logistics doubles
down for VDL Nedcar
Pence/ Euro/
Country litre litre
Austria 106.8 01.
Belgium 124.2 01.
Czech Rep 112.9 01.
Denmark 121.5 01.
Estonia 117.5 01.
Finland 124.6 01.
France 126.0 01.
Germany 111.3 01.
Greece 122.8 01.
The Netherlands 117.0 01.
Hungary 108.0 01.
Ireland 119.9 01.
Italy 132.6 01.
Latvia 107.6 01.
Lithuania 102.3 01.
Luxembourg 94.83 01.
Norway 146.7 01.
Poland 108.6 01.
Portugal 118.0 01.
Slovakia 107.1 01.
Slovenia 113.3 01.
Spain 107.0 01.
Sweden 135.1 01.
Switzerland 138.0 01.
UK 132.4 01.DIESEL PRICES
The Automobile Association’s
monthly price guide to diesel prices
around EuropeOperator will undertake round trips from Born to
southwest Germany and southern parts of the UKLEFT D Wide ZE is the first pre-
production vehicle from Renault’s
new range of electric trucksinformation from GPS trackers
installed on all trailers,
supplemented by comprehensive
vehicle telematics. In the event of
deviations from planned routes or
schedules, the system will generate
automatic alerts. “This doubling of our
responsibilities is a flattering
endorsement of all the hard work
our team has put into this contract
since 2014,” said Imperial Logistics’
vice president commercial road,
Srecko Muehling.