Renault Extends European Mobility Offering

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

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18th June 2021

Renault has unveiled a wide-ranging strategy to boost mobility and BEV options for urban consumers.

It announced three niche vehicle solutions to promote EV adoption in the hope that more city dwellers would turn to the technology. The automaker says its Mobilize mobility wing is to create an ecosystem to support EV uptake, enable better energy management and give batteries a second life through recycling. It also looks to offer accessible mobility services, to design vehicles for specific uses and develop cutting-edge software platforms. The three new options include:

• Mobilize DUO is a two-seater compact and connected BEV. Designed with car-sharing services in mind, it is built according to the principles of the circular economy, aiming to incorporate 50% recycled materials in its manufacturing and be 95% recyclable when it reaches the end of its life cycle, thanks to Renault’s Re-Factory in Flins;
• Mobilize BENTO will be created for the delivery or transportation of small-sized goods. Based on the DUO, its storage area is designed with small-goods transport in mind, with a total volume of up to one cubic meter (35 cubic feet);
• Mobilize HIPPO is a modular vehicle that will be proposed for last-mile delivery and features several interchangeable cargo elements that meet a range of needs for mixed users (refrigerated transport, parcel delivery), with a storage capacity of 200kg (440lbs) and up to three cubic meters (105 cubic feet).

Meanwhile, Renault plans to expand its Zity services renamed ‘Zity by Mobilize’. This joint venture with Ferrovial has been available in Madrid since 2017 and in Paris and the Greater-Paris region since 2020. It provides 1,250 electric vehicles to more than 430,000 customers. The wider roll-out of Zity by Mobilize is set to extend to other cities over the course of 2021.

Mobilize’s self-service rental service, will become ‘Mobilize Share’ offering a range of Renault vehicles for hire including a selection of electric vehicles. Rentals range from one day to one month and, for one-off needs, it also offers 24/7 hourly rentals for self-service vehicle hire. Already present in Europe, it offers a fleet of 15,000 vehicles and more than one million customers. This month will see the launch of its first all-electric car-sharing offer in Bergamo, Italy, and four of its neighboring municipalities.

Finally, the rebranded ‘Mobilize Power Solutions’ for EV fleet charging offers tailor-made, turnkey solutions that cover business customers. Now operational in 11 countries across Europe.

Clotilde Delbos, CEO of Mobilize, said: “Issues relating to mobility and energy transition are at the heart of concerns shared by consumers, businesses, cities, and territories. Mobilize’s ambition, through its fully integrated and comprehensive offer, is to make a more sustainable world by providing mobility services, as well as services related to energy and data. Building on partner ecosystems that are complementary to our own, we want to provide concrete solutions to promote ecological transition and develop more accessible mobility for people and goods, especially in complex and congested urban environments.”

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_