- Renault EZ-FLEX is an experimental electric and connected LCV that is both compact and agile. It was created and designed for sustainable mobility and delivery efficiency in urban areas. It is more than a vehicle: it is a real work tool.
- Renault EZ-FLEX is initiating a new collaborative, innovative and unprecedented approach to better grasp the new challenges of last-mile delivery. Renault EZ-FLEX will be lent to various professionals in Europe to collect all relevant data usage to better understand the needs associated with daily delivery in urban areas.
- The volume of transported goods in the world is expected to quadruple by 2050. Within this context, at the end of 2018, Renault presented its vision of the future of urban delivery in 2030 with the electric, autonomous and connected Renault EZ-PRO concept car. With EZ-FLEX, an electric and connected vehicle, Renault keeps on preparing for the future by exploring the new uses of last-mile delivery.
The Renault EZ-FLEX will be at the Renault stand at the VIVA Technology fair from 16 to 18 May 2019 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles (France).
EZ-FLEX: A VEHICLE CREATED AND DESIGNED FOR CITY DELIVERIES
Renault EZ-FLEX is a compact and maneuverable vehicle designed to move seamlessly throughout cities.
It provides an optimal footprint in relation to its load space: the length (3.86 m), width (1.65 m) and height (1.88) are small enough to enable access to car parks. Its 3m3 load capacity is exceptional for its dimensions and made possible by a compact cockpit which still offers the full range of assets of a true LCV. The 4.5 m turning circle provides excellent maneuverability in the streets of city centers.
Everything was designed to meet the needs of a delivery driver: The wide access to the cockpit, a clear central dashboard for quick and easy access to driving information, excellent visibility and simple and efficient controls. The interface is modern and apes the functionality users experience with their smartphones. It offers services and applications linked to the vehicle and can integrate further applications linked to various professionals’ activities.
Rear loading is optimised via an ergonomic loading height (760 mm above ground) and opening enabling easy access to the entire load-bay. The vehicle was also designed to enable a wide variety of configurations for the cargo-bay. These rear space configurations are adaptable, designed to meet the different needs of the assorted professionals to whom the vehicle will be lent.
As an electric vehicle, EZ-FLEX can access city centers, offering a range of 100 km adapted to the needs of urban delivery (urban deliveries require driving 50 km per day on average).
EZ-FLEX: A COLLABORATIVE, INNOVATIVE AND UNPRECEDENTED EXPERIMENT
A dozen Renault EZ-FLEX vehicles will be lent to various professionals, companies, cities and municipalities in Europe. The experiment is expected to last about 2 years.
The vehicle is equipped with sensors to better understand its use. The professional users will further enrich this data with their feedback during the experiment. Different data types will be collected including but not limited to: Geolocation, mileage, range, use of cargo opening, speed, stops, etc. This data will then be transferred via the vehicle’s connected system, either in real time or once per day, to understand the reality of daily use.
The analysis of the data, twinned with the users’ feedback, will enable Renault to design vehicles which are better adapted to the evolution of urban logistics.
Through this experiment, Renault has a new approach to prepare and design the innovations of tomorrow. This flexible method, which is a breakthrough in the automotive industry, is very close to practices used in other sectors, such as gaming.
EZ-FLEX: PREPARING THE MOBILITY OF TOMORROW
In a world where the increase in urbanisation will lead to over 60% of the population living in cities by 2030, the mobility of people is not the only aspect to rethink. A new era is also beginning for transporting goods; rapidity, flexibility and reliability are even more important at a time that has seen rapid growth in online purchasing. The demand for ever faster and more accurate delivery times is coupled with increasing regulatory constraints in towns and city centres.
“Sustainable mobility for all, now and in the future” is Groupe Renault’s credo.
Following the Renault EZ-PRO concept car, the Renault EZ-FLEX enables us to continue our exploratory work on the mobility of tomorrow.