Fighting climate change depends on everyone, from our most routine actions such as recycling to replacing a thermal fleet with a hybrid one . Large companies are key in the fight for sustainability and have government support to make these changes. An evolution that would not be possible without the involvement of manufacturers such as Renault, which has committed to reducing its carbon footprint to zero in Europe by 2040 . A future marked by the roadmap called Renaulution, the strategic plan that should improve the group’s income (with Dacia and Alpine included) with the help of electrification. These business scenarios nurture each other to create alliances such as the one created by Makro, one of the largest hospitality distribution companies in Spain, and LeasePlan to replace its fleet of thermal cars with hybrid Renault Clio E-Techs.
This agreement aims to make its commercial fleet more sustainable with the implementation of the French firm’s self-recharging hybrid technology. The signing took place at the Makro facilities (Leganés) and was attended by David Martínez Fontano, CEO of Makro Spain, Sébastien Guigues, General Manager of Renault and Alpine Iberia , and Alberto Sáez, CEO of LeasePlan . This union will mean that more than 350 diesel vehicles that make up the company’s fleet will pass to the 140 hp Renault Clio E-Tech hybrids and the latest driving and safety aids.
A step to sustainability
Makro is a company dedicated to distribution to the hotel industry, a service that is 100% demanding of mobility and kilometres. Its importance in the sector is paramount, which is why it represents a first step in terms of efficiency in a world that has only just begun its journey towards a zero carbon footprint. In addition to the benefits for the environment, this business decision will improve the experience of its workers and will facilitate their movement in the cities with the most limited road traffic. That without counting on the extra security that involves incorporating latest generation models , more technological and prepared to avoid incidents at the wheel.
Renault’s E-Tech technology is drawn directly from its experience in Formula 1, the best test bench for an automotive firm. The models acquired thanks to LeasePlan, the manager of the leasing service, also reveal the strategic plan of this company which, as Alberto Sáez, CEO of LeasePlan, commented: “It is time to act, to take concrete steps to build a better world . That is why, as a leading leasing company, we must guarantee cleaner, greener and smarter electric vehicles and be the pioneers in the implementation of cutting-edge sustainable mobility . And that is what we are doing.”
A commitment shared by the three legs of this agreement, starting with the CEO of Makro Spain, David Martínez Fontano: “We are the largest hotel distributor in Spain and our commercial force is the largest in the sector, so this agreement represents a great advance in terms of sustainable mobility”. For this, it will have the technology of the Clio E-Tech , which incorporates two electric motors and one naturally aspirated gasoline with four cylinders and 91 CV . This Clio does not have a clutch and will always start with the 49 CV electric block and, only if it needs it, the second 22 CV motor turns on the thermal. This combination gives it the DGT ECO label.
