Aberdeen City Council has taken delivery of 214 Renault LCVs, consisting of Master, Trafic and Kangoo models, and including three pure-electric. Kangoos Z.Es.
Aberdeen chose Renault to supply the fleet following a 12-month assessment programme. The new fleet includes 55 Master panel vans, 83 Master conversions, 43 Trafic panel vans, 29 Kangoo panel vans, three Kangoo Z.E panel vans and one Trafic passenger-carrying van.
The order now accounts for nearly half of Aberdeen’s LCV fleet and the vehicles will be used for a range of different duties, covering road, grounds, buildings and IT maintenance work. The three Kangoo Z.E. vans will be used by teams servicing parking meters in the city centre.
To assess the viability of transitioning to an all-electric fleet, the city council has ordered two additional electric Master Z.E. vans.
Seventy four of the 83 Renault Master conversions were completed in-house, with only minor additions from Arnold Clark Coachbuilders before the vehicles were put into service.
The vehicles were also fitted with the Michelin Tyre Pressure Management System and an on-board weighing system to prevent overloading.
An Aberdeen City Council transport spokeswoman said: “The requirements for upgrading our fleet have been extensively reviewed, ensuring our new vehicles are fit for purpose and as efficient as possible.
“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.”
Vincent Tourette, managing director, Groupe Renault UK, commented: “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.”
