Renault Van Z.E.

The Transport Minister, Norman Baker, has announced that the government is to extend the plug-in-grant for electric vehicles so that it covers vans too. The plug-in-van grant will enable van buyers to claim up to £8,000 off the cost of a plug-in van.

Mr Baker, commented,”Electric vehicles are the arrowhead for a low carbon revolution in motoring and as more models come to market we’ll begin to see sales gather pace. Car buyers have had a year to take advantage of our grant and now it’s time for van buyers to get their chance to go electric. This is great news for businesses given the lower running costs of these vehicles – fleet buyers tell us that this is one of the most important factors influencing their decision on what to buy”.

In order to qualify for the new plug-in-van grant, vans will have to meet a range of performance criteria that covers safety, range and ultra-low tailpipe emissions. Both businesses and consumers can qualify for the plug-in-van grant and Renault already has the Renault Van Z.E. (pictured above) that’s bound to qualify.

There are around 10 cars eligible for the Plug-in car grants, with five already launched in 2011 and if you want to see how to qualify for the plug-in-van grant, visit the DfT website.

Renault Z.E.

Renault has welcomed the Government’s decision this week to ring-fence the grants available to electric car buyers for an initial period of January 2011 to March 2012. The grant allows you to claim 25% off the purchase price of an electric car, up to a maximum of £5,000.

Renault of course has the four-door zero emission Z.E. family which is an affordable , mass market proposition in the pipeline and the first of its innovative all-electric vehicles will be the Kangoo Van, followed by the Fluence four-door saloon, a two seater based on the Twitzy concept and a five-door supermini. For more details on Renault’s Zero Emission Vehicles visit www.renault-ze.com

Renault Z.E.

Europcar and Renault have moved forward on an agreement reached at the Frankfurt International Motor Show last year. Europcar has pre-ordered 500 electric Renault Z.E. (zero emissions)vehicles and is set to offer the range to its customers by 2011, for the European short-term rental market.

Rafael Girona, Chief Operating Officer of Europcar Groupe said,”Europcar reaches a decisive point in bringing electric vehicles into the rental market; they will join the eco-friendly fleet that already features on our websites. The interaction between our network and Renault’s technology will genuinely pave the way for a major advance in mobility solutions”.