NEWS
Electric Kangoo keeps postal workers sane
Overseas studies show Renault's Kangoo ZE lowers stress levels on the roadRenault is claiming that staff delivering the mail in the electric Kangoo ZE van have a better outlook on life.
The car company has been supplying the Kangoo ZE to the French postal service for some time – and feedback indicates 95 per cent satisfaction from the drivers.
"They're less stressed..." Renault's EV Specialist Elena Wood told motoring.com.au yesterday.
The French drivers took fewer sick days, were calmer on the road, and made fewer OH&S-related insurance claims.
According to Wood, it's not that the cars are easier to drive, in and of themselves. With all that's said about range anxiety in electric vehicles it seems counterintuitive, but the lower stress levels are primarily due to the different driving strategy required for the electric vans. Retaining charge as long as possible calls for easing off the accelerator earlier and using regenerative braking more. This leads inevitably to a smoother driving technique, which tends to reduce erratic driving and the potential for road rage.
"Rather than accelerate-brake-accelerate-brake, you'll find that you're smoother in your driving... and all of that will play on how the driver experiences his day in the vehicle," Wood explained.
"There are no vibrations when driving. You can actually have the radio on at a much lower setting, because you're not trying to hear it above the engine. So it's all those factors that make it a much nicer driving environment..."
But doesn't the need to plan in advance when driving the Kangoo ZE generate a different type of stress again?
"That comes with the education of the driving, because you will always have at the start the anxiety of 'Am I going to achieve what I need to do today?' But with companies like the postal service, they know the route that they do in a day. They don't deviate much off of it.
"You know you're going to hit the depot at the end of the day."
Renault has supplied two of the vans to Australia Post for trial purposes. Both vehicles are based out of Melbourne, but two more – to be based in Sydney – will join the Aussie Post fleet before the end of the year. To date, the postal service has offered Renault positive feedback, but the car company is yet to see any hard data concerning the electric Kangoo's performance in the field. With the Kangoo ZE's payload pared back from 800kg for the diesel to 650kg and real-world range no more than 125km, Australia Post's input will be an important factor in the local business case.
"At this time, we're still in the process of investigating what a business case for the Kangoo ZE looks like," Wood admitted.
The Kangoo ZE already complies with ADRs, so they could be brought in to supply a specific fleet order from the company, but clearly Renault would prefer to be selling the electric van to other customers also. Other companies have voiced an interest in buying the Kangoo ZE in Australia. Wood puts the number of fleets interested at no more than 10. Without a business case, however, that seems to be largely academic.
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Written byKen Gratton
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
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