Felix Project charity gets Renault Z.E. vans

London based food charirty Felix Project takes delivery of seven all-electric Renault Kangoo Z.E. panel vans
New zero emission Renault vans to significantly grow Felix Project’s collection and distribution service
The Felix Project’s central London operation fleet will now be 100 per cent electric
Zero tailpipe emissions, ease-of-use and size make the Kangoo Z.E ideal for the charity’s London routes

RENAULT has donated seven all-electric Renault Kangoo Z.E. vans to London-based food charity The Felix Project.

The van donation further extends Renault’s relationship with the charity which started in 2017 with one Kangoo Z.E. It will help The Felix Project expand its operation to provide London’s disadvantaged with fresh food.

The electric Renault vans mean the project can deliver a significantly more than the 20 tonnes of food they currently deliver each week.

This is food collected from supermarkets, wholesalers and other suppliers, and distributed free of charge to around 200 charities and schools throughout London. In turn, these organisations then provide meals, snacks or food parcels to those in need, including elderly or homeless people, struggling families, those with mental health issues, refugees and asylum seekers.

All of the vans will initially be based at the Felix Project’s central London operation. It means that the central operation’s distribution and collection service will be 100 per cent electric.

The vans will be used by a variety of volunteers on evening runs into the capital. The Kangoo Z.E.’s payload of 640kg – near identical to that of its diesel counterpart – can accommodate 32 crates of food, which is enough to deliver to four primary schools.

The Felix Project was established in early 2016 in memory of Felix Byam Shaw – the son of one of the charity’s founders – who died suddenly from meningitis in 2014.

The idea for the charity arose from Felix’s compassion for fellow youngsters who didn’t have his advantages. in particular after he played in a football match and discovered that some of the opposing team of 10-year-old boys from South London hadn’t had anything to eat that day.

Anne Elkins, Development Manager for The Felix Project’s school programme, said:

“The new Kangoo Z.E.s will make a big difference to our operation, allowing us to plan more routes and also collect more donations that are made available on an ad hoc basis and which need to be collected in a short time frame. It’s great to have the extra capacity and the support from Renault.”

The Kangoo Z.E.33 has a real-world range of 124 miles and has a load capacity of up to 4.6 cu m. The van can be fully charged via a 7kW AC charger in just six hours; it can be topped up by up to 21 miles in just one hour.

The Kangoo Z.E. 33 is priced from £14,799, excluding VAT, after the Plug-in Van Grant.