The (electric) resurrection of the Renault Estafette

Renault continues to pursue its nostalgic path. It presented the all-electric Estafette van study at IAA Transportation, and the new Renault Master with hydrogen drive was also on display at the same trade fair in Hanover.

The Estafette Concept is an electric study intended to evoke memories of Renault’s iconic 1959 van of the same name. There are some visual similarities, but they are not immediately apparent.

Production version coming

Renault wants to turn the concept into a production model within two years, which means 2026 for the market launch. Hardly any details about the technology are known. The new FlexEVan platform from the Flexis joint venture, founded by Renault, the Volvo Group, and logistics company CMA CGM, serves as the basis for the electric van.

The model is also set to become Renault’s first ‘Software-Defined Vehicle’, i.e., it will utilize a new electronic SDV architecture to enable new services via cloud connectivity, including greater efficiency in operation and costs. Renault expects this to “reduce cost in use by about 30%.”

Compact

The dimensions of the Estafette Concept are 4.87 x 1.92 x 2.59 meters, so the footprint is roughly the same as the Kangoo L2 (4.91 x 1.86 m), although the latter is significantly lower (1.85 m).

The E-Estafette is exceptionally high at over two and a half meters. According to Renault, the turning radius is just over ten meters. According to the manufacturer, the total loading capacity is roughly equivalent to a Renault Trafic L1H2. It has a capacity of around 7.1 cubic meters.

The French company explains that the model also has two sliding side doors that “can be opened with a single hand movement” and, instead of a tailgate, a roller blind at the rear “that rolls upward to utilize the van’s full loading height. “This means no space is required at the rear for the tailgate to swing open.

Human

Renault has designed the exterior so that “vans no longer have anonymous shapes, but are endearing and expressive,” as head designer Sandeep Bhambra puts it. It follows Renault’s ‘humanization’ approach, introduced with the electric Renault 5.

Other features include a windscreen that wraps around the A-pillar and a bright yellow cockpit with a single seat. As said, the first Estafette production electric vans are expected to roll off the production line at Renault’s Sandouville plant in 2026.

“We are very excited about helping to bring to life the vision that Renault Group and its partners Volvo Group and CMA CGM Group have come up with to revolutionize urban logistics, to make operations more sustainable, safer, city-friendlier, driver-friendlier, and neighbor-friendlier,” says Philippe Divry, CEO of Flexis SAS.

“Estafette Concept is the first example of what electric utility vehicles will look like tomorrow: purpose-engineered to drive in cities, compact, connected, and built for fully sustainable delivery services.”

Master on hydrogen

Renault also presented the new Master with hydrogen drive as a world premiere at the trade fair in Hanover. Hyvia developed the prototype based on the new Master. The company already presented the technology last year on the current Master. It, too, is a joint venture between the Renault Group and fuel cell specialist Plug Power.

From 2025, the new generation of hydrogen-powered vans will be entirely manufactured in the regular production process at the Batilly plant with the other drive types. According to Hyvia, this will increase the number of units. Hyvia will build the fuel cell system in Flins.

Renault has not yet provided any technical data on the H2-Master. The only thing mentioned is a WLTP range of 700 kilometers in all weather conditions and a refueling time of five minutes.

In addition, the entire hydrogen architecture is said to have been fully integrated into the vehicle platform during the design phase, which, according to the manufacturer, means that both cargo space and payload are retained.