Renault continued its nostalgic route with a presentation of the all-electric Estafette van study at the IAA Transportation Show. At the Hannover trade fair, the new Renault Master with hydrogen-powered drive was also seen.
The first is the Estafette Concept: an electric concept designed to evoke memories of Renault's eponymous van, launched in 1959. There are some visual similarities between the two, but they are not obvious. The 2024 model is too streamlined. One thing is for sure: Renault remains true to its retro route (including the electric R5 and R4) and comes in bright colors. While the Estafette concept is actually gray, it has a lemon yellow roof.
Renault hopes to turn the concept car into a production model within two years, that is, in 2026. Few details of the technology are known at the moment. The electric van is based on the new FlexEVan platform from Flexis, a joint venture between Renault, the Volvo Group and logistics company CMA CGM. The model will also be Renault's first "software-defined vehicle", meaning it will leverage a new electronic SDV architecture to enable new services through cloud connectivity, including improved operational efficiency and costs. Renault expects this to "reduce the cost of ownership by about 30 percent."
The Estafette concept measures 4.87 x 1.92 x 2.59 meters, so the footprint is about the same as that of the Kangoo L2 (4.91 x 1.86 meters), although the latter is significantly lower (1.85 meters). Or the other way around: the E-Estafette is extremely high, more than two and a half meters. According to Renault, the turning radius is just over ten meters.
According to the manufacturer, the total loading capacity of the car is roughly equivalent to that of the Renault Trafic L1H2. Its capacity is about 7.1 cubic meters. The model also has two sliding side doors that "open with one hand", and instead of a tailgate, the rear is equipped with roller shutters that "roll up to take full advantage of the full load height of the van", explains the France company. This means that the tailgate does not need to leave space at the rear of the car to open.
Renault designed the car's exterior so that "the van is no longer a cookie-cutter shape, but cute and expressive," says chief designer Sandeep Bhambra ·. It follows Renault's philosophy of "humanization", which has been introduced since the electric version of the Renault 5. Other features include a windshield that wraps around the A-pillar and a bright yellow cockpit with a single seat.
Renault also presented the new Master with hydrogen power for the first time at the Hannover trade fair. The prototype was developed by Hyvia based on the new Master. The company is also a joint venture between the Renault Group and fuel cell specialist Plug Power. Starting in 2025, the new generation of hydrogen-powered vans will be produced in full accordance with the usual production process at the Batilly plant, along with other drive types. According to Hyvia, this will increase the number of units. Hyvia will produce fuel cell systems in Frijns.
Renault has not yet provided any technical data on the H2-Master. The only mention is that the WLTP range in all-weather conditions is 700 km and the refueling time is 5 minutes. In addition, the entire hydrogen architecture is said to have been fully integrated into the vehicle platform during the design phase, which, according to the manufacturer, means that both cargo space and payload are preserved.