Devon-based uPVC superstore Exeter Window Store has taken delivery of its first electric van, a Renault Trucks E-Tech Trafic Red EDITION, part of a longstanding partnership with Renault Trucks and a move towards more sustainable operations.
Supplied by Elliot Tratt at Sparks Commercial Services, Exeter Window Store – which has a two-vehicle fleet – has historically turned to Renault Trucks for its light commercial vehicles. The business has now taken a step forward by introducing two new vans to its fleet – one electric Trafic Red EDITION L2H1 panel van – and one diesel Renault Trucks Master Red EDITION with dropside body.
The Renault Trucks E-Tech Trafic, equipped with a R75 electric motor and a 52kWh lithium-ion battery, has a range of up to 150 miles on a single charge. With zero-emissions and zero-noise pollution, the vans can operate without restriction in highly regulated zones and is perfectly suited to Exeter Window Stores’ last mile deliveries in urban areas.
The E-Tech Traffic Red EDITION comes with wireless smartphone charger, 8″ multimedia display with wireless smartphone replication screen and upper front bumper, rear lights corners & lateral door rail painted as standard.
The vehicle was specified with additional extras for safety and convenience including rear-mounted reversing camera and parking assistance in the form of front, rear and side radars.
George Otton, branch manager at Exeter Window Store, said: “We’ve always used Renault Trucks because the service is excellent and efficient. Elliot at Sparks, in particular, is brilliant – quick with quotes, on the ball with order updates, and genuinely can’t do enough to help us out.”
While the diesel van continues to meet the business’s longer-distance needs, the E-Tech Trafic electric van was chosen specifically for local deliveries.
According to Otton, the van’s range is more than sufficient for day-to-day operations: “For short local trips, it’s absolutely spot-on. The range lasts us most of the week, and we just plug it in when it gets back to base.”
Exeter Window Store’s move to electric came as part of a broader strategy to minimise its environmental impact.
Otton said: “As a business, we’re always looking for ways to do things better for the environment and society. This electric van is just one of several changes we’re rolling out in the coming months.”
