A 'genius idea' gets a second chance in Renault's mobility strategy

Sometimes, you just can't keep a good idea down. 

That is the case for the Renault EZ-Flex concept, a full-electric "last-mile" delivery vehicle that quietly debuted in April 2019.

It was shown at the same time as a concept for the new Renault Kangoo van, as well as face-lifted versions of Renault’s Trafic and Master vans, which drew all the attention. 

It was billed as an "experiment to better understand urban last-mile delivery," and the French postal service, among others, received prototypes.

At 3860 mm (152 inches) long, it was shorter than a Renault Clio small car, but its 3 cubic meters of load capacity was the same as a base version of the Kangoo.

The EZ-Flex did not receive a lot of publicity at the time, and seemed destined to be filed under "good ideas that never see the light of day."

But the EZ-Flex story does not end there.

Attentive Renault watchers immediately recognized the so-called "Jack of All Trades" revealed last month by CEO Luca de Meo for the new Mobilize brand as the EZ-Flex.

De Meo has introduced four vehicles as his "cards to play" in the sector. By 2030, Renault expects mobility services to generate at least 20 percent of the group's revenue.

He said in an interview with Automotive News Europe that he discovered the EZ-Flex project during a six-week review of Renault's operations last summer, shortly after starting as CEO.

"I saw it as a genius idea," he said. "We are trying to get that concept to series production."

A standout feature of the EZ-Flex is its ease of loading.

"We have a patent for the boxes on the cargo area," de Meo said. "You can very easily lift and change either the whole cargo area, or just modular boxes, with a forklift" that slips into slots in the boxes.

De Meo says such a system would be perfect for “advanced last-mile logistics," especially with the surge in online ordering during the pandemic. 

"You could take this vehicle back to the logistics center. Take off one box with a forklift and replace it with a box that has already been prepared," he said. He added that companies such as Amazon also like to have deliveries packed for shipments in different locations along a route.

De Meo said the EZ-Flex would most likely need to be commercialized through partnerships with delivery companies. The market for electric vans has so far been mostly limited to fleet companies, which can amortize a higher initial cost and also carefully plan delivery routes to avoid the need to recharge during the day. 

The need for vehicles such as the EZ-Flex is likely to increase, with surveys suggesting that the shift to online commerce may persist long after the pandemic has receded.

"At the moment we have prototypes, but we would need the right situation and financing" to put the EZ-Flex into production, de Meo said. "But a lot of operators are asking us for a product like this."