Driving report Renault Master E-Tech Electric
claim to leadership
Renault Master E-Tech Electric
© press-inform – the press office
Renault is a power when it comes to commercial vehicles in Europe. In order to maintain this position, the French are now giving the electric version of the Master van a larger battery and thus more range.
French people don’t usually suffer from a lack of self-confidence. Where the tricolor flies, the Gauls are in the lead in their self-image. This also applies to commercial vehicles, where Renault says it is number one in Europe. An important pillar of the postulated claim to leadership is the Renault Master, which has been sold around three million times in 50 countries since 1980. The future is at least partly electric in the logistics sector as well. On the way to the electrified future, the Master E-Tech Electric should do its part and on the way to the electrified future, it’s about time that the all-electric version also got a refreshment. Because the Master E-Tech. has been rolling on Germany’s roads as the Master ZE since 2018. A lot will happen in electromobility in four years.
The Master E-Tech Electric also benefits from these leaps in development. First of all, it’s about the battery. It comes from the electric car Zoe and grows from 33 kilowatt hours to 52 kWh, which is enough for 204 kilometers. If you are traveling in the city with the van, it is even 238 kilometers. Compared to the 120 kilometers that the predecessor managed, this is clear progress. Which brings us to charging performance. On a 3.7 kW wall box, the LG batteries are 80 percent full in ten hours. For some logistics companies, refueling overnight can be scarce. The better alternative is the 22 kW DC charger, with which 80 percent is reached after two hours and the energy storage is completely full after three hours.
The reason for this comparatively low value is the payload. If you charged the battery with more steam, more cooling would be required, which reduces the weight of the payload. That is why the twelve modules are also air-cooled. “With the Master E-Tech Electric, the focus is on the payload,” explains manager Paulo Pereira. Depending on the loading structure, the payload is between 989 and 1,420 kilograms. The Stromer small transporter will be available in three lengths and two height versions. L1: 5.080 meters (7.8 cu ft), L2: 5.580 meters (10.3 m3) and L3: 6.230 meters (up to 14.1 m3). The variability of the master is retained during the electrical upgrade. Depending on the application, the base frame can be equipped with a flatbed, tipper or box body. With such numbers, the 57 kW / 76 hp of the electric motor definitely does not seem overpowered. This is also evident in our journey with a load of 300 kilograms.
The Renault van does its job reliably, but at 80 km/h the electronics say rien ne va plus, which doesn’t necessarily make driving on the freeway in a truck sandwich any more relaxed. To be fair, it must be added that the Renault Master E-Tech in this configuration is designed primarily for city driving. However, that does not rule out the possibility of driving on structurally separated lanes. The French apparently want to take this fact into account with two variants of the Master E-Tech Electric, which are unlocked for speeds of up to 90 and 100 km/h. The combination of side door and rear gate with two classic door panels is charming. So you can easily get into the hold in any situation and environment.
When on the go, the Stromer transporter doesn’t really let itself be disturbed. It is not surprising that the range does not quite achieve the specified value. Why should commercial vehicles be any different than passenger cars? At least the recuperation of the brakes is improved and shovels more energy into the batteries. Renault refers to studies according to which 87 percent of all daily distances covered with vans in Europe are less than 60 kilometers.
In the driver’s cab you can tell that the Master is already a few years old and was designed as a vehicle with a combustion engine. Nevertheless, it is somehow strange to start an electric van with the ignition key. But that can still be seen as a nice quirk, since it doesn’t really bother. It looks different with the fact that there is no “P” (ark) mode. If the worst comes to the worst, you have to set the automatic of the Master E-Tech Electric to “N” (neutral) and pull the classic handbrake. The infotainment isn’t the most up-to-date either, and it doesn’t have to be in a commercial vehicle transporter either, but the fact that the brightness of the screen changes to night mode in bright sunshine during the day and can hardly be read isn’t quite as exciting.
Just as little as the fact that there is no handle on the passenger side with which you can swing into the cockpit. The workplace itself is set up as you would expect from a commercial vehicle of this category. Many shelves make organization easier. When it comes to price, Renault is still covered. According to the Renault website, the current Master E-Tech with a range of 120 kilometers costs 65,331 euros. However, we suspect that the successor to the Masters ZE will gain some ground due to the larger battery. This makes it difficult for the Blaumann Frenchman to compete against such competitors as the Ford E-Transit, which already has 135 kW/184 hp in the basic version. Not to mention the performance variant with 198 kW/269 hp and a range of more than 300 kilometers (WLTP). The starting price of the Ford as a panel van is also a real challenge at 61,865 euros. That’s where it becomes difficult with the claim to leadership.