DHL Supply Chain has signed a three-year contract with Renault to manage and distribute replacementlithium batteries for its entire electric vehicle range to simplify the market launch of Renault’s
new line of electric vehicles.The agreement coincides with the launch of the first Renault electric vehicles, Fluence Z.E.and Kangoo Z.E. Deutsche Post DHL has been road testing 12 new Renault Kangoo Z.E. electricvehicles since April 2011 for combined deliveries in Germany. As part of the “E-mobility incommuter traffic” pilot project, the vehicles are transporting letters and small packages in theRhine-Ruhr area until the end of 2011.
As another element of the cooperation, DHL will add eight more vehicles of the type RenaultKangoo Z.E. to its road test in the Rhine-Ruhr area trialing the operational suitability ofelectric vehicles for commercial fleet operations.
The introduction of electric engines brings along the challenge of replacing used batteries,DHL explained. If a customer buys an electric car, Renault offers him or her an all-in-one offerincluding battery replacement after several years of use or in case of dysfunction. Customers canthen get their batteries replaced at their dealer in a simple way.
Renault has commissioned DHL to handle the logistics behind battery deliveries to the “ExpertZ.E.” dealers trained for electric vehicle maintenance and customer assistance and equipped withthe necessary technology. As part of the contract, DHL will store the batteries at its facility inBonneuil near Paris and transport them to the “Expert Z.E” dealers and importers to countries inEurope and Asia including all major automotive markets such as Germany, France, Spain and the UK.It will then return the used batteries to Renault’s repair centre in Flins.
DHL will control the whole logistics process including order management, management ofexceptional cases and data via its specialised Automotive Control Tower in Veghel, Netherlands.Thanks to a specific Renault IT solution, DHL will ensure that each individual battery can betracked throughout the supply chain.
The Renault Z.E. series, which stands for “Zero Emissions”, is the first line of fullyelectric passenger cars and small commercial vehicles to be introduced to the consumer market by amajor car manufacturer. It will include the Kangoo Z.E., Fluence Z.E., Twizy and Zoe models, whichwill be launched successively between fall 2011 and mid 2012.
“Renault is the first car manufacturer to offer electric vehicles for the mass market. Inthis particular business model, the client will rent the battery to be replaced by Renault dealers.Our contract with DHL is one of the key elements to ensure that replacement batteries are availablefor customers,” said Jacques Daniel, after-sales director, Renault.
Dan Ellerton, CEO DHL Supply Chain Mainland Europe, commented: “Emission-free mobility is oneof the most important challenges of the 21st century. Now we have made an important step forward inthis direction. Logistics is an essential success factor for launching electric vehicles on themass market, and the solution we have developed for Renault will provide a reliable and efficientway to organise aftermarket logistics for batteries, thus setting a new industry standard.”
