Renault does double at Green Apple Awards

Renault does double at Green Apple Awards

Renault has won two environmental prizes at the 2014 Green Apple Awards this week.

The Renault Kangoo Z.E electric van was awarded the Green Apple Automotive Industry Bronze Award whilst the Renault Clio was named Runner Up in the Small Family Cars category, at the event held at the Houses of Parliament.

These two accolades build on Renault's success in previous at the awards ceremony in previous years. In 2013, the Renault ZOE electric car took the Overall Winner prize as well as being named Best Small Family Car and in 2012 Renault was applauded with two awards for its commitment to zero emissions motoring.

Commenting on awarding the Kangoo Z.E. van the Automotive Industry Bronze Winner prize, a spokesperson for The Green Organisation said: "The Renault Kangoo Z.E. Van was the market's first all-electric light commercial vehicle. This purpose-built van has zero tailpipe emissions, is cheap to run and easy to charge. It has instant torque, making it rather quick  but at the same time very quiet and smooth to drive."

The awards are organised by the Midlands-based The Green Organisation and were judged by members of the Midland Group of Motoring Writers.

Midland Group chairman Ian Donaldson added: "When The Green Organisation asked us for our current green champions we wanted to go further than some other awards and look beyond the official figures and rank our favourites in the real world, taking into account how they performed in our hands."

Commenting on the Clio, one Midlands Group of Motoring Writers judge said: "Good looks combine with an extremely frugal and fun to drive diesel engine to put the Clio near the top of anyone's list."

The Renault Kangoo Van Z.E. is the world's first 100 per cent electric van produced directly by a mass-market vehicle manufacturer. It provides zero tailpipe emissions and silent motoring that is ideal for commercial use within urban environments. The 44kW electric motor and 22kWh lithium-ion battery provide 226Nm of torque, available from rest, which allows for smooth, linear acceleration.

The official range of 105 miles means that the vast majority of van users' daily driving can be done on one charge.

The Clio hatchback, now in its fourth generation, is available with a range of petrol and diesel engines which emit CO2 emissions of as low as 83g/km and with fuel consumption as low as 88.3 mpg.

by: Becca Chaplin