Renault Trucks is the latest manufacturer to lay out its electrification pledge: it'll have a battery or fuel cell option in every segment from 2023, it's aiming for 35 percent electric sales in 2030, and it'll ditch fossil fuels and decarbonize completely by 2040.
Renault is the biggest-selling truck manufacturer in France, and sells nearly 10 percent of commercial vehicles over 6 tonnes in Europe. The plan to get out of ICE trucks by 2040 is part of a zero-emissions push for 2050; the company says its trucks tend to have a lifespan of at least 10 years, so it wants the last combustion units it sells to be dropping off the road by mid-century.
It's already got battery-electric options available from 3.1 to 26 tonnes, covering distribution, deliveries, urban transport and garbage collection. This announcement heralds a new tractor unit for 2023, capable of pulling semi-trailers across regional and inter-regional distances, as well as an electric urban construction vehicle.
After 2025, the company plans to offer a range of heavy long-haul trucks running on hydrogen fuel cell powertrains, which could deliver range and refueling speed numbers close to what today's ICE trucks can do.
The Volvo Group, which owns Renault Trucks, is putting together a development unit focused on medium-tonnage electric vehicles, as well as spending €33 million on a new R&D center in Lyon and forging partnerships with battery specialists at Samsung SDI. Its efforts will be focused on battery design and supply,
Road transport currently contributes about 12 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and electrification using clean energy seems the clear path towards zero in this sector. Initiatives like this will play an important part, even if the timeframes seem long from this vantage point.
Source: Renault Trucks
