Renault Trucks has launched the first vehicle in its new all-electric 3 to 26-tonne line-up, the Master ZE.

　　Making its UK debut at Freight in the City Expo in London on 6 November, the Renault Trucks Master ZE is aimed at operators requiring a zero-emission vehicle for working in urban environments.

　　It is available to order through Renault Trucks’ ‘Ready for Business’ range in six variants : four panel vans and two platform cabs.

　　The manufacturer said it provides a payload of up to 1,128kg, a real-world operating range of 120km (75 miles) and can be fully charged in only six hours.

　　Its load volume of up to 13m3 is the same as a conventional diesel Renault Master as the batteries are mounted under the floor, with no intrusion into the load space.

　　To protect both the driver and the load and to guarantee the safety of other road users and pedestrians, the Renault Trucks Master ZE is fitted with a reversing camera, a reversing radar and a wide-view mirror as standard.

　　It also features the ZE voice alert system designed to warn pedestrians that the vehicle is approaching when it is travelling at speeds of between 1 and 30 km/h (up to 19mph).

　　The all-electric Renault Master ZE is now available for order in Renault Trucks’ dealerships in the UK and Ireland.

　　Renault Trucks has confirmed to MT that it is also in the process of including the electric van in the list of vehicles available for the government’s Plug-in Van Grant. This enables operators to receive £8,000 towards the cost of a new van.

　　Grahame Neagus, head of LCV UK & Ireland, Renault Trucks, said: "We are in the process of getting it ratified for the current Plug-in-Grant in readiness for the first deliveries and indeed against all of the criteria as laid down by OLEV. We are delighted that the Renault Trucks Master ZE meets all the criteria laid down by OLEV at this point."

　　Also making its debut at Freight in the City Expo will be the manufacturer’s new Urban Chiller platform cab with a Solomon body and Thermo King refrigeration unit.