Last updated on April 8th, 2020 at 07:57 pm
Aberdeen City Council (ACC) has today announced that it has taken order of 214 Renault Pro+ commercial vehicles to update and transform its fleet. The announcement follows after the Scottish city council carried out a rigorous 12-month assessment programme that saw it undertake vehicle trials across the city.
Renault's vehicles came out on top and as such, the authority ordered 55 Renault Master Panel Vans, 83 Renault Master conversions, 43 Renault Trafic Panel Vans, 29 Renault Kangoo Panel Vans, three pure-electric Renault Kangoo Z.E Panel Vans and one Renault Trafic Passenger Van. The LCVs now account for nearly half of the council's commercial vehicle fleet; it's the first time Aberdeen has chosen Renault vehicles.
The vans will be used across different divisions within the council – from the IT department to conducting works in an eight-mile radius of Aberdeen’s centre. At the forefront will be three EVs – the pure electric Renault Kangoo Z.E. – which will be used by staff members to carry out repairs and will help minimise the environmental impact.
The Euro 6d conformity of all Renault Pro+ vehicles means the council will be able to reduce the carbon footprint of its fleet, namely with the all-electric models; ACC aims to make the transition to an all-electric fleet, soon. All of Renault's vehicles come with the standard three-year/100,000-mile warranty, however, additionally, Specialist Cars Renault in Aberdeen will provide the council with after-sales support – this includes replacement vehicles if any of them are off-action for more than 24 hours.
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Aberdeen City Council transport spokesperson Councillor Sandra Macdonald said: “The requirements for upgrading our fleet have been extensively reviewed, ensuring our new vehicles are fit for purpose and as efficient as possible. While the Renault order met our budget requirements, our choice was heavily influenced by the quality of the product and the comprehensive after-sales support, which means any downtime is kept to an absolute minimum and ensures we continue our essential works with all the equipment we need.
“Feedback has been excellent, our drivers particularly rating the ride, comfort and handling of the vehicles on the road. We are looking to introduce more Renault Pro+ commercial vehicles to the fleet in 2020 as we work to replace older, less efficient vehicles.”
Elsewhere, Renault's LCVs are also the first of Aberdeen City Council’s fleet to be fitted with the Michelin Tyre Pressure Management System (TPMS). This ensures that the vehicles are running on tyres which have been inflated to the optimum pressure; this improves performance and more importantly, efficiency. Another system that was implemented was the Vehicle Weighing Solutions (VWS) VOPS TM2 onboard weighing system, which essentially prevents the vehicles from being overloaded.
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Vincent Tourette, Managing Director, Groupe Renault UK, commented: “Aberdeen City Council’s order reaffirms how versatile the Renault Pro+ range is and the brand’s continual investment in providing commercial vehicle users with the very best products. We are especially pleased that the breadth of the Renault Pro+ line-up has allowed the Council to find a suitable vehicle for very differing roles and that our LCVs were received so well during what was a very intensive trial and tender process.
Additionally, it’s very rewarding to know our brand is playing a key role in the Council’s drive to upgrade to a more usable and efficient fleet at a time when the authority’s efforts to do so have been officially recognised as being exceptional.”
It's great to see the council taking on more efficient vehicles, however, we'd like to have seen more all-electric vehicles included in the council's order. Other councils, such as Wandsworth (London) or Nottingham, seem to be striving toward a greener future at a faster pace.