The 100 per cent electric Renault ZOE is helping Islington Council to continue its drive to both create a greener fleet and make its inner London borough a healthier and cleaner environment for over 206,000 residents.
The Council has taken delivery of six Renault ZOEs for use by the Voids Team within its Housing Property Services division. The role sees the award-winning superminis being used by the team’s Project Managers to inspect and assess council properties that become empty across the borough’s near six square mile area.
Islington Council opted for the award-winning Renault ZOE due to the value it represented, its real-world range of up to 245 miles and flexible charging options. The vehicles were procured via The Procurement Partnership Limited (TPPL) framework agreement, which from a choice of vehicles from up to 14 manufacturers identified the Renault ZOE as the best fit for the requirements of Islington Council.
The arrival of the Council’s first Renault ZOEs coincides with the upgrade of its fleet charging infrastructure. The council aims to switch more vehicles within its 500-strong fleet – spanning cars and small vans through to street sweeping vehicles and 26-tonne refuse and recycling collection vehicles – to electric.
Importantly, the Renault ZOE’s zero-emissions-in-use supports the Council’s ambitions to enhance air quality in the area and help tackle the climate crisis. Ultimately, it strives to make greener travel more attractive and, most recently, has joined a collective of London boroughs that are campaigning for cleaner air in the Capital by encouraging drivers to switch off their engines when stationary.
The Renault ZOE’s near silent operation also helps to reduce noise pollution in the borough, while its fully automatic transmission and seamless power delivery makes it ideal for negotiating the often-heavy traffic that is synonymous with driving in the Capital. The ZOE’s ease-of-use, especially for those who have never driven an electric vehicle before, is heightened by several features that are shared with traditional diesel or petrol vehicles.
Finished in Glacier White with the addition of Islington’s Council distinctive green livery, the Renault ZOEs were ordered in the Iconic level of trim. Members of the Council’s Voids Team benefit from a standard specification that includes automatic windscreen wipers and lights, rear parking sensors, automatic climate control, electric mirrors and windows, EASY LINK radio and navigation with 7-inch touchscreen and six speakers, and ICONIC 100 per cent recycled fabric seat upholstery.
Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Islington Council is committed to making our fleet greener, as part of our continuing efforts to clean the air that local people breathe and to help achieve our goal of creating a net zero carbon Islington by 2030.
“The use of the Renault ZOE by our Voids Team will help to achieve this goal, ensuring that the team are able to travel around the borough in an environmentally-friendly way. The team visits all kinds of locations across the borough, and the convenient size of the ZOE has proved to be hugely beneficial, ensuring that operatives can park easily. The Voids Team have also been complimentary on the ride, range and navigation system within the vehicle.”
Islington Council joins a growing number of public sector organisations who are turning to the pure electric Renault Z.E. range of vehicles. In 2020, Renault UK has sold more electric vehicles to the public sector than the last five years combined. Renault is Europe’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer.
Vincent Tourette, Managing Director, Groupe Renault UK, commented: “Islington Council covers one of the most densely populated London boroughs and we are delighted that it has chosen the Renault ZOE to help in its quest to make the region a cleaner and healthier environment and also support one of its busiest divisions.
“With councils under increasing financial strain and facing the difficult task of needing to lower their environmental impact without affecting their productivity, the Renault Z.E. electric vehicle range is proving the perfect solution. With our electric vehicle expertise spanning almost 10 years and our EV offering being stronger than ever, local authorities enjoy the peace-of-mind that a Renault electric vehicle is amongst the very best of its kind and that there’s a version that will certainly meet their passenger car and light commercial vehicle needs.”
Available from £26,995 on the road after the Plug-in Car Grant, the Renault ZOE has been extensively revised for 2020. Combining the best range in its sector with optimum value, the latest version continues the model’s award-winning success with the Renault ZOE recently voted the ‘Best Small Electric Car’ at the What Car? Awards for the seventh consecutive year.
Available in three levels of trim – Iconic, Play and GT Line – the ZOE offers a highly usable range of up to 245 miles (WLTP). With the 50KW DC rapid charge option, 90 miles of charge can be restored in only 30 minutes.
In addition to the award-winning ZOE supermini five-door hatchback, the Renault Z.E. range consists of the Twizy quadricycle, Renault Master Z.E. and Renault Kangoo Z.E.33 vans, plus the newly-launched Renault ZOE Van, which combines the equipment and 245-mile range of the passenger car version with a versatile payload of 387kg (Business trim).
