The Renault Estafette is back, 65 years after it first arrived. Having been reinvented as a compact electric van designed for the cities, it’s part of a few current trends: electric vans, last-mile delivery vans, and a move towards vans becoming more playful.
Small but Mighty
The Estafette has a small footprint (4.87 x 1.92 metres), but this comes to its advantage. It can fit in a standard parking space with no problem and has a turning circle of just over 10 metres, comparable to that of a Clio. At a height of 2.59 metres, there’s enough space (1.9 metres) inside for the driver to walk through the storage area.
The storage area can be accessed by a sliding door on either side, which can be opened in one motion. The rear shutter rolls around itself, taking up minimal space, and means the Estafette can be reversed all the way up to a loading area.
The Renault Estafette has a sleek look, emphasising its modernity. The French manufacturer describes the design as ‘Smeg fridge meets plush toy’. Aside from the black bar at the front, there’s little visual drama, although the Tropical Yellow roof hints at Renault’s ambitions to make a more fun van.
Modular, but Fun Inside
The interior is the best show of the Estafette’s quirky but functional nature. The yellow driver’s seat can swivel to help them stand up, with the foldaway seat next to it reserved for training. The platform under the seat has seven drawers.
There’s also plenty of technology. Behind the octagonal-ish steering wheel, there’s a 7-inch display and the middle of the dashboard houses a 12-inch screen pointed at the driver. There are also two 10-inch displays, replacing physical mirrors. There’s an abundance of storage and the ‘play’ and ‘pause’ on the pedals is a cool touch, albeit one seen on the VW ID Buzz.
The rear has four foldaway shelves and can be easily accessed by the driver. The sliding door separating the cockpit and cargo area closes automatically when the driver leaves the vehicle, or returns to the cabin.
SDV Architecture Comes to Fruition
The Estafette is the Renault Group’s first vehicle built around an SDV (Software-Defined Vehicle) electronic architecture. Developed by Ampere, Renault’s intelligent electric vehicle specialist, it connects to the cloud and has plenty of benefits.
It learns the user’s habits, can reduce costs by up to 30%, and can update the vehicle throughout its life cycle. It also enables customers to add high-efficiency power outlets, which will make conversions easier. Furthermore, it will work with fleet management infrastructures and allow the driver to see specialist information on the dashboard (for example, the refrigeration temperature in the cargo area).
The Estafette Concept will become a production van in two years’ time, when more information about it will become available.
