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Renault and E. Leclerc are confirming their commitment to sustainable development and electric mobility in France, with the launch of the “Z.E. Club des 50”, which will function from early 2013. In each region, an E. Leclerc centre and a Renault dealership will work together through the Club to deploy charging stations and thus make Zero Emission mobility available to the greatest number.
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In Brittany, the E. Leclerc centre of Pont l’Abbé and the Renault dealership in Quimper are the first members of this Club, which aims to bring together players and ambassadors of electric mobility in each region. Heralding this initiative, ten Renault ZOE vehicles will be delivered today to Patrick Bellec owner of the E. Leclerc centre in Pont l’Abbé, at a ceremony attended by Michel-Edouard Leclerc, Chairman of Centres E. Leclerc, and Carlos Tavares, Chief Operating Officer, Renault group.
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.
About Renault:
The Renault group, present in 118 countries, designs, develops, manufactures and sells passenger cars and light commercial vehicles under the Renault, Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors brands. To meet the new challenges facing the automotive industry, both environmental and economic, Renault is implementing a two-pronged strategy: improvements to existing technologies with new generations of carbon-efficient engines, and the breakthrough “Zero Emission” programme. Renault launched a zero-emission range in 2011 with Fluence ZE and Kangoo ZE, followed in 2012 by Twizy, an innovative urban quadricyle, and ZOE, launched at the Paris Motor Show. This range makes innovation affordable to the greatest number. With its partner Nissan, Renault is targeting world leadership in the mass marketing of zero-emission vehicles
More information on renault.com
About E. Leclerc:
With 560 stores in France and 530 members, E. Leclerc is France’s leading retailer. It reported revenue of €15.2 billion in first-half 2012 (excluding fuel), an increase of 8.3%. Reflecting its ranking, E. Leclerc has market share of 18 .1%, up 0.8 points. These results can be attributed to the policy pursued by E.Leclerc since its founding in 1949: continuous efforts to keep prices down and a single business model based on decentralized, cooperative and participative organization. The members of the E. Leclerc movement, who are independent entrepreneurs, share the same aim: to enable consumers to live better and spend less, through innovative and responsible initiatives, charging the lowest prices for a comparative level of quality. As grass-roots players in local communities, these members make the long-term investments necessary to ensure that E. Leclerc centres meet the needs of their customers and defend their day-to-day purchasing power.