Renault Trucks will begin production on their D and D Wide Z.E. electric truck models this month.
Manufacturing will take place in the company’s Normandy plant in Blainville-sur-Orne, France. The factory, which has been operating since 1957, is specialized in the production of medium-duty vehicles and truck cabins. Each day, 240 cabins are made and 72 distribution trucks are assembled.
Technical procedures are performed upstream and downstream of the Renault Trucks D and D Wide Z.E. passing through the assembly line. The manufacture begins one week prior to the electric trucks passing through, with preliminary operations performed within the Z.E. building. Various subassemblies specific to all-electric vehicles (drive, engine, gearbox, modular power box, etc.) are assembled. They are then transported to the assembly line in order to be mounted onto the vehicle.
The Renault Trucks D and D Wide Z.E. are assembled on the same line as the equivalent diesel models. At the end of the assembly line, the electric trucks are returned to the Z.E. building for the technicians to carry out additional technical operations and quality tests. In total, 50 hours of work is required to manufacture an electric truck.
The company predicts that electric vehicles will represent 10% of its sales volume by 2025.
Photo: Technicians on the Renault Trucks’ assembly line