Renault Kangoo van to be first EV on alliance CMF-C/D platform

PARIS -- The new-generation Renault Kangoo small van will be the first vehicle to use a full-electric version of the Renault-Nissan alliance CMF-C/D platform when it is launched by the end of the year. It will be joined by Nissan and Mercedes-Benz branded versions. 

Until now, the CMF-C/D platform, which underpins Renault and Nissan vehicles such as the Renault Scenic minivan and Talisman midsize sedan, and the Nissan X-Trail and Quashqai SUVs, has only been electrified with a few plug-in hybrid models, including the Renault Megane. Internal combustion engine versions of the new Kangoo go on sale in June.

But Renault has modified the floor pan and rear module of the platform to accept a 44 kilowatt-hour battery, compared with the 33 kWh battery in the current Kangoo Z.E. full-electric van. It will have a 75-kilowatt electric motor (the current model has a 44 kw motor) and six driving modes.

The new Kangoo Z.E. will have a range of 265 km (165 miles), Renault says, compared with the current version’s range of 230 km.

Nissan has not revealed details of its version of the Kangoo, which is currently called the NV250.

Mercedes' current Kangoo version is called the Citan, but the next generation will add the T-Class name for passenger versions. On May 10 Mercedes will show a “near-production” concept full-electric van called the EQT, as part of the brand’s full-electric EQ lineup, but has not said when it will be launched. 

Renault will build the Kangoo and Nissan/Mercedes versions at its factory in Maubeuge, northern France, where it is investing 450 million euros ($543 million) to prepare for the new vans and increase production.

Among other major players in the car-derived van market, Volkswagen has said it will not build electrified versions of the new-generation Caddy because the ID Buzz full-electric van, although slightly larger, will fill a similar role. Ford has not revealed plans for its Transit Courier and Transit Connect small car-derived vans, although it is planning a new small van to be built in Romania with a full-electric option. Fiat’s car-derived vans, the Fiorino and Doblo, could potentially move to Stellantis’ full-electric compatible platforms after the current models’ lifecycle ends.

The small van segment – known as car-derived vans because they are built on platforms developed for passenger cars – is rapidly electrifying, and offers the best prospects for growth, statistics provider DataForce said in a report in March.

Car-derived vans made up 54 percent of the electric van market in 2020, followed by small vans at 18 percent and medium vans at 14 percent, DataForce said.

“The predominant segment for the electrical vans is the small van segment, DataForce said. “As these vans are more fit for last mile delivery, specifically in older city centers, this trend will most probably not change in the near future.”

The current generation Kangoo was one of the first to have a full-electric option, for commercial users only, when it was launched in 2011. According to DataForce the Kangoo ZE had a 26 percent share of all electric van sales in Europe in 2020, followed by the Nissan NV200 at 17 percent and the Mercedes Vito at 6 percent.

Renault says it has sold more than 58,000 Kangoo ZEs, mostly to fleet customers such as the French postal service, with about 9,000 registered in Europe in 2020. Renault says that the Kangoo ZE accounted for nearly one-third of all full-electric van sales in Europe last year.

This year, Stellantis has launched full-electric passenger and commercial car-derived vans from Citroen (Berlingo), Opel (Combo) and Peugeot (Partner/Rifter), and there will also be a Toyota-branded version.