- Scottish Fire & Rescue Service orders 45 Renault ZOEs
- Renault ZOE will be used to help spread important safety messages across Scotland
- Renault ZOE the first zero-emissions-in-use vehicle to be added to the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service fleet
- Order represents the beginning of the organisation’s drive to have an all-electric fleet
The all-electric Renault ZOE will be helping to save lives and some of the UK’s most beautiful scenery after the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service (SFRS) ordered 45 to be used throughout Scotland in the support of its frontline operations.
SFRS, the world’s fourth largest fire and rescue service, will use the zero-emissions-in-use Renault ZOEs as general pool vehicles, with each covering at least 10,000 miles a year. They will be used by uniformed staff, office employees and management to interact with the public in non-emergency situations, which span free home safety visits to community events, and will be spread across the whole of Scotland, including all major cities and as far as Orkney and the Shetland Islands.
Significantly, the new ZOEs are SFRS’s first pure electric vehicles and represent the beginning of a significant shift in how it will evolve its fleet of nearly 1,800 vehicles. The Renault ZOE proves that electric vehicles are now a viable business proposition, combined with the Scottish Government’s sizeable investment in charging infrastructure, SFRS is committed to moving to an entirely electric fleet.
The Renault ZOEs replace traditionally fueled hatchbacks and now account for nearly a quarter of SFRS’s pool car fleet. They will be based at strategic station locations throughout the country, with SFRS installing up to six charging points at each site. Aided by the Renault ZOE’s flexible charging options, additional charging will also be carried out via ChargePlace Scotland – the country’s government-supported public EV charging network.
SFRS chose the Renault ZOE due to its ‘real-world’ range of 186 miles, comprehensive standard specification, ease-of-use and value all contributing to the organisation’s decision.
Scott Roberts, Fleet Manager, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, said: “The best way to deal with an emergency is to prevent it from happening, and the ZOEs will play a vital role in how we engage with communities and deliver our crucial safety messages. The Renault ZOE’s range and the vastly improved charging infrastructure means we have been able to spread them far and wide, and there’s not a nook or cranny of Scotland that one of our ZOEs isn’t able to cover.
“Introducing them has been a major step in our future direction and while we have previously adopted hybrid technology with a handful of vehicles, they felt more like a box ticking exercise and never really worked on a practical or financial basis. With the ZOE, we can see that having environmentally-compatible electric vehicles is a viable business model, allowing us to reduce our carbon footprint, preserve the country we are so passionate about and provide our team with a vehicle that is perfect for their requirements.”
“What’s more, the ZOE’s ease-of-use means that everyone has adapted to them very well. We did have a handout card to give to drivers and delivered a little training, but with most people already having experience of driving an automatic the transition from our previous pool cars has been very straightforward. It’s worked so well that we’ll be replacing all our pool cars with the Renault ZOE in due course, plus we are also evaluating the Renault Kangoo Z.E. with a view to introducing it to our compact van fleet.”
Vincent Tourette, Managing Director of Renault UK, said: “The work performed by the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service is invaluable and we’re delighted that they have called on the Renault ZOE to help them efficiently spread important, life-saving messages and commence its ambition to electrify its entire fleet. With the ZOEs being deployed in many rural communities and by a whole variety of drivers, it’s a fantastic illustration of how versatile and usable a car it is.”
The savings continue after purchase too, the ZOE being exempt from London’s Congestion Charge and ULEZ charges, plus road tax. Company car drivers also enjoy the lowest BIK rates of 16 per cent. Ownership is easy – the fully automatic ZOE complementing its impressive range with a host of charging options, including rapid charging from 0-80 per cent in 1 hour and 40 minutes, while also being relaxing and simple to drive.
In addition to the ZOE, the Renault range of 100 per cent electric vehicles encompasses the Twizy quadricycle, the Kangoo Z.E. 33 Van and the New Master Z.E. Van.
For more information on the Renault electric vehicle range please visit www.renault.co.uk
ENDS
About Groupe Renault
Groupe Renault has been making cars since 1898. Today it is an international multi-brand group, selling 3.88 million vehicles in 134 countries in 2018, with 36 manufacturing sites, 12,700 points of sales and employing more than 180,000 people. To meet the major technological challenges of the future and continue its strategy of profitable growth, the Group is harnessing its international growth and the complementary fit of its five brands, Renault, Dacia, Renault Samsung Motors, Alpine and LADA, together with electric vehicles and the unique Alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi. With a new team in Formula 1, Renault sees motorsport as a vector of innovation and brand awareness.
In the UK, Groupe Renault UK has nearly 160 dealers selling the range of Renault cars, LCVs and Dacia. Groupe Renault UK sales totalled 103,607 vehicles in 2018.
For further information, please visit www.press.renault.co.uk or @RenaultUKPR or contact:
Matthew Bendall
Head of Press & Public Relations
matthew.bendall@renault.co.uk – 01923 697653 – 07814 990247
Alistair Sommerville
Press Relations Manager
alistair.sommerville@renault.co.uk – 01923 697592 – 07464 837744
Callum Chamberlain
Product & Corporate Communications Manager – Dacia
callum.chamberlain@renault.co.uk – 01923 697512 – 07989 434003
Charlie Roper
Press Fleet & VIP Relations Manager
charlie.roper@renault.co.uk – 01923 697778 - 07816 641843
Jess Bilimoria
Senior Events Manager (Maternity cover)
jessica.bilimoria@renault.co.uk – 01923 697537 – 07557 135236
Linda Robinson
Internal Communications Manager
linda.robinson@renault.co.uk – 01923 697231
Kathryn Nicholson
Communications Assistant
kathryn.nicholson@renault.co.uk – 01923 697296
Imogen Nichols
Communications Assistant
imogen.nichols@renault.co.uk– 01923 697363