Renault, Volvo Group partner on commercial EVs to be 'Tesla of vans'

Renault and lorry maker the Volvo Group have established a new start-up that aims to flip the European commercial vehicle sector on its head with a range of highly modular electric vans.

Called Flexis, it aims to capitalise on growth in demand for zero-emission commercial vehicles, which is expected by its creators to rise by 40% each year until 2030.

Explaining its ambitions, Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo said: “This is the Tesla of the commercial vehicle in a way. That's the way you have to see it.”

The first Flexis model – part of a three-van line-up teased in a press conference – will be launched in 2026. Based on a bespoke skateboard architecture, it was promised by de Meo to “completely transform” the common perception of a van.

“It’s not a white box on wheels with a diesel engine any more,” he said.

It will be a “step-in van” designed around last-mile deliveries in city centres, prioritising how efficiently it uses space as well as outright manoeuvrability. It will have a footprint roughly in line with the existing Renault Kangoo but with a much taller roofline to give a total cargo capacity matching the Renault Trafic from the segment above.

Those tight proportions will also ensure the van has a turning circle on a par with B-segment superminis, Renault suggested.

Flexis has also worked closely with logistics companies to optimise the interior packaging of its vans, with French freight firm CMA CGM taking a 10% stake in the business.

De Meo said this approach was inspired by Rivian, which developed its electric van with Amazon, and recently failed start-up Arrival, which partnered with UPS and Post Office.

The Flexis vans’ interiors have been designed to save as much time for their operators as possible.

De Meo explained: “We were trying to get every second out of interaction between the driver and the van, because every 30 seconds that you save in a delivery we estimate is [worth an extra] 1% profitability for the logistics operator.

“So you get into the van from the side; you don't have to go back and open the door. You will have a mechanism to order the packages based on the delivery route. Everything will be like this, because 30 seconds is 1% profitability.”

Flexis CEO Philippe Divry said that ease of operation is also a key consideration. He elaborated: “A lot of logistics companies see their drivers changing jobs after 12-18 months, so you have to imagine changing your whole workforce every 12-18 months.

“If we can make our vehicle more easy to drive, more friendly for people who deliver 100 or 150 packages a day, and we can keep them longer on the job, that's much more value, much less disturbance in the customer’s operation.”