The ten Renault ZOE vehicles ordered by Patrick Bellec at the Paris Motor Show are intended for use as company cars, to be driven by ten employees from the store who have fitted wall boxes for home charging. The employees will also be able to recharge their cars at work, where 11 stations, or 22 sockets, are available in the car park of the E. Leclerc centre in Pont l’Abbé. This equipment will be accessible to all owners of electric vehicles.
As France’s leading retailer, E. Leclerc encourages more responsible consumption practices and has long been committed to protecting the environment. As part of this approach, E. Leclerc has joined forces with a number of manufacturers, including Renault, and with the authorities, to encourage the use of electric vehicles in France, by installing charging stations in its store car parks. Today, it is taking the process one step further at Pont l’Abbe with the creation of the Renault - E. Leclerc, “Zero Emission” club and the delivery of the very first ZOE vehicles.
Currently, more than 20 E. Leclerc centres have made charging stations available to their customers. The “Z.E. Club des 50”, establishing local links between Renault and E. Leclerc, should become the “Z.E. Club des 500” in the longer term, bringing together the 500 E. Leclerc members investing in Z.E. and the 500 Renault dealers present across France. The club’s objective will be to develop electric mobility in France, by raising public awareness through communication initiatives. This will involve presenting products on the respective sites of both companies, developing charging stations at Leclerc centres, organizing joint initiatives with municipalities and maintaining an ongoing dialogue between management committees locally.
The E. Leclerc centre in Pont l’Abbé and the Renault Quimper dealership, which is part of the Bodemer Group, are the first members of this club bringing together players and ambassadors of electric mobility in Finistère and Brittany.
The ten Renault ZOE vehicles delivered today are forerunners to the mass launch across the Renault network in spring 2013. With ZOE, Renault makes zero emission mobility available to the greatest number. ZOE is the first supermini designed as a car that is 100% electric and priced at an affordable €13,700 incl. VAT (price in France, after deduction of the tax incentive). It embodies Renault electrical expertise with the most advanced electrical technology. More than sixty patents were filed as part of the design process for ZOE. Currently being rolled out across France, ZOE is spearheading Renault’s electric range, with a range of 210 km over an NEDC cycle.
Michel-Edouard Leclerc, Chairman of Centres E. Leclerc, said: “Our commitments to environmental protection. Mobility is indissociable from the hypermarket concept. Our role is to innovate, to develop new practices and encourage the general public to adopt them. The partnership between our network of members and the dealers will enable us to provide a good level of coverage nationwide. We will be potential partners, able to support municipalities in promoting new clean transport offerings.”
Carlos Tavares, Chief Operating Officer, Renault group, said: “Alongside the order placed for the Renault ZOE vehicles by E. Leclerc in Pont-l’Abbé, I would like to praise the commitment shown by Michel-Edouard Leclerc and his members in supporting the deployment of electric vehicles in France. Through the coverage of the Renault network, combined with that of the E. Leclerc centres, we have an opportunity to make more charging stations available to our customers for their day-to-day needs. The local partnership between Mr Bellec and the Renault dealership in Quimper, which is part of the Bodemer Group, will provide access to innovation for the greatest number. The aim of the E. Leclerc-Renault Club will be to step up the pace of this process across France.”
Patrick Bellec, owner of the E. Leclerc centre in Pont l’Abbé, has organized many initiatives promoting sustainable development since opening his store. In his car park, with its photovoltaic panel lamps and drainage channels to recover wastewater, he already has two Fluence Z.E. and four Twizy. “We’ve been making active efforts to promote sustainable development for a number of years. We were the first hypermarket to draw up a carbon audit and to seek to reduce our carbon footprint, to make electric bikes available to personnel, and to rent out hybrid cars. So it was only natural for us to be the first to welcome electric cars,” explains Patrick Bellec.