Under the banner of Renault Samsung Motors, worldwide auto manufacturer Renault works with Samsung to create futuristic solutions for the auto industry and improve what’s already out there. Their latest project is a venture into the vastly under-represented electric vehicle market in the commercial sector. They’ve announced that they plan to create the world’s first fully electric light commercial vehicle. Whether you call them work vans, commercial vans or light commercial vehicles, there’s no denying that this sort of vehicle is extremely common on today’s roads and that putting a cleaner, more cost-efficient version on the market could have positive effects in the industry and in regards to air pollution.
Renault Samsung will be working closely with small and mid-size businesses throughout Samsung’s homeland of South Korea to develop an idea electric light commercial vehicle. Some guidelines that they’ve decided to try to aim for with the project are a vehicle that weighs no more than one ton, and can drive for at least 250 kilometers on one charge. According to Renault Samsung, development of such a vehicle is expected to take three or four years, during which time they plan to work with electric vehicle part manufacturers with the goal of creating a new ecosystem within the electric vehicle parts industry. This, in turn, will give them access to the parts and facilities they need to bring their vision of an all-electric light commercial vehicle to life.
According to Renault Samsung, most development in the electric vehicle space and, indeed, most of the innovation in the auto industry these days, is focused on passenger vehicles. This leaves the under-represented commercial vehicle side of the electric vehicle market ripe for the picking, for anybody that wants to get into the nascent industry. On top of creating the world’s first electric light commercial vehicle, the company also intends to create an entire platform for similar vehicles and manufacture parts locally in South Korea. Their plans also include crafting a submission for an initiative that the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy launched on the 3rd to promote the development and improvement of core technologies used in industry.