International van of the year report 2023 George Barrow


and 6. It will happen with Euro 7 but we also have general safety regulations, so having an entry level LCV that’s not so expensive, I think this is more and more diffi cult if you see all the other functions coming into LCV.”


Renault will unveil a revised Master van later this year that will be their most powertrain-agnostic model to date with support for ICE, electric and hydrogen propulsion. Similar to the introduction of the Kangoo ZE in 2011, this mutli- platform Master heralds the beginning of a new era in Renault’s LCV products. Although the Master has been electrifi ed for many years, the new platform is built specifi cally for the multiple powertrains, which should yield higher payloads and larger batteries with greater ranges than before. Large electric vans have failed to gain a foothold in the same way small and medium vans have – Renault still doesn’t have a mid-sized electric van on sale, although the Trafi c E-Tech has been announced – but Löw believes the


strategy that began more than decade ago was correct.


“I still think that starting with the small van was the right idea because it’s the one driving around the most and knowing what was possible 10 years ago it was the right decision. It was then the Sprinter, the Crafter and the Master that were next to be electrifi ed because we all thought these are the guys putting a lot of stuff [payload] in, going around and then coming back every evening to charge. More and more what we are seeing is that it’s not just about going out and coming back and charging. In the future it will be about much more than that. High speed charging will be necessary, also the grid doesn’t give the opportunity for overnight changing for 50 vehicles. Maybe it would have been better to start with the Trafi c than the Master, but almost the whole industry did that.” With the introduction of the Master as Renault’s fi rst hydrogen van, there’s a feeling of déjà vu and the question of


whether it’s the right platform to launch with. Stellantis has chosen their mid-sized van as their fi rst hydrogen model with Opel leading development of the Vivaro chassis with a fuel cell. There’s also the notion, with the benefi t of hindsight, that hydrogen should have leapfrogged electricity in the running order, given that so many customers have fears of range, refuelling and battery durability. “It is my impression that only in the last two years have people had an interest in hydrogen,” Löw counters.


“I think earlier wouldn’t have made


sense. It’s still premature, still in the pilot phase. I hope we will get enough people interested to get the cost down to have a decent competitive offer because at the end of the day it’s about infrastructure as it’s very diffi cult to store and to gain green hydrogen from solar or wind. Large vans are the right vehicle to test this because big fl eets will say ‘let me try this’ and can get a mobile station [installed on site].”


Renault’s partnership with American hydrogen specialist Plug Power will enable parties interested in the hydrogen Master to buy into the complete hydrogen ecosystem with electrolysers and green hydrogen production via solar. The big question, though, is will the hydrogen Master be as signifi cant as the Kangoo ZE was at its launch? “I think times have changed, there was not the overall pressure from regulation and lawmakers [in 2011]. That’s why this time I think it will go faster. I would say people are more open minded and interested because they have electric vehicles in their fl eet. But with hydrogen being able to do 100km more, this might be the game changer.” Ironically, fi nding out if hydrogen becomes the next game changer may well depend on the combustion engine. The stakes are high for the members of ACEA and the “scandal” of whatever the Euro 7 requirements could become.


The seven-seater Renault Grand Kangoo E-Tech


@whatvan


September 2023 WhatVan?


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