Sometimes employees complain that their employer requires an electric vehicle. Undoubtedly, the approach of asking management for a connected utility yourself is less common. This is what Hervé, also a personal electric motorist, did in a Renault 5 E-Tech.
Abandonment of a 2008 diesel
In 2024, Hervé was still driving diesel: “I had a 2008 Opel Astra which was starting to show pollution problems. While thinking about which model to take instead, I told myself that a diesel in the Paris region, when you don’t do many kilometers, is not great. As for gasoline cars, with downsized three-cylinder engines, no question ».
Hence this rather logical sequence: “So I started to become interested in electric cars with Automobile Propre and La Chaine EV. I wouldn’t say that an eco-friendly approach was my main idea, but I still had it in the back of my mind. I have a slightly geeky side which made me want to try. Getting behind the wheel of a Peugeot e-208 to see, I felt a real pleasure in seeing the instantaneous torque when accelerating and in driving an EV ».
He then refined his search: “I didn’t want an SUV, or an ocean liner. Arriving at the right time, the Renault 5 E-Tech immediately appeared to me in the right format. Owner of the R5 R Pass wire cutter, I was able to place my order in May 2024, for delivery in December. I received carpets, the installation of a team, a 1/43 scale model and another at 1/64 scale during an open day. Living in Essonne, I benefited from a bonus which helped me to buy my electric car in cash ”.
Between 60 and 180 km per day
Hervé is a maintenance technician on automatic machines: “When I ordered my electric R5, I learned that a colleague was testing a Renault Kangoo E-Tech. We run our utilities for three to four years before replacing them, and mine was due soon. I then indicated that I was interested in receiving an electric model. Several others did as well. Our employer did not impose electric power on us, but supported those who wanted it. ».
Our reader is therefore not the only one to drive an electric utility vehicle in his business: “Currently, there are five of us in this case, just for the Paris region. I received my Kangoo E-Tech at the beginning of June 2025. It has more than 13,000 km as of mid-March 2026. I travel between 60 and 180 km a day, and most commonly it is around 120. I am really very happy to use this vehicle. Compared to the thermal Citroën Berlingo with mechanical or automatic gearbox that I would have had otherwise, there is no photo ».
Le technicien précise : « Even if it is not a lightning bolt, the electric Renault Kangoo provides real driving pleasure thanks to the instantaneous torque, including in traffic jams. There, I use mode B. I feel much more relaxed with this utility and appreciate the silence on board. This is what my colleagues also feel who use the same model and also say they are very satisfied ”.
Recharge à destination
For one of the collaborators, the feedback is more nuanced: “He’s the only one of us who does a lot of highway driving with his Kangoo E-Tech, which he has in a long-chassis version. He feels he is wasting time recharging and would have liked faster battery regeneration. With different use, I don’t have that impression. I just have to organize myself: it’s not at the company that I have the possibility of plugging in my vehicle for the night, since I’m going home with it.».
At his home either, Hervé cannot recharge his electric utility vehicle: “ This is not authorized, and yet I do have a Mobilize terminal for my Renault 5 E-Tech. I therefore have to use a Total or Chargemap Pro card with my Kangoo: my employer tells me that it is easier to manage the invoicing of recharges. I commission and upgrade equipment: I therefore have a lot of travel which allows me to connect my utility at my destination ».
Our reader has therefore adopted a habit: “ Knowing where I am going to go the next day to carry out my interventions, I look in advance for on-site charging stations that I could use with my badges, without paying too much attention to the network operator. Unless I know it’s too expensive, like for example at La Borne bleue which I avoid. In Paris, the new Belibs work quite well ».
Juggling between alternating current and direct current
Due to the equipment of his Renault Kangoo E-Tech, Hervé has his preferences for recharging: “I favor terminals that are alternating current. My utility vehicle is equipped for 22 kW AC, and that’s really great. Due to the absence of pre-conditioning of the battery, in direct current, it is however not crazy. You must have already driven the vehicle for a while to have an acceptable DC recharge. At a temperature of 20°C outside, it takes 45 minutes to go from 10 to 80% energy ».
It is with a certain recurrence that the technician organizes his recharges: “During my first intervention of the day, I plug my electric Kangoo into a 7 or 22 kW AC terminal. If, on the way back, I need additional energy, I will look for a fast direct current terminal where the charging curve can approach 80 kW ».
Our reader, however, encountered problems at the rapid terminals a few times: “That’s when it’s cold, DC charging doesn’t always start. It happened to me once with 0°C outside and another with a little less than 10°C. I found a little trick to get out of it: recharge for around fifteen minutes using AC, then plug it into a fast charging station. Each time it resolved the situation for me ”.
Two electric Renaults for everyday use
Another blockage discovered on occasion by Hervé: “While it was cold and the Kangoo was charging, I started heating the cabin I was in from my smartphone. At one point, I opened the door, from the inside. It cut off the charging and I could no longer unplug the cable. To get out of it, I called a colleague to whom this mishap had already happened. He explained to me that I could disconnect the cable using a small button under the hood ».
In the end, our reader found himself using two electric vehicles from the same brand: “I find some common things, but we have the feeling that the Kangoo is from an older generation. He does not have a platform dedicated to electric vehicles, but conversely I have the same engine noise in both vehicles. On board the utility vehicle, the gear selector is gearbox lever style, whereas with the R5 E-Tech it is a steering wheel switch ».
The infotainment systems are also completely different: “I have an Easy Link screen in the electric Kangoo, while I benefit from an Android Automotive architecture in the Renault 5 E-Tech“. Differences and similarities with which he will juggle for a little while: “I’ll probably have the Kangoo for another three years or so. Due to an agreement with the manufacturer, I did not have the choice of model, only this model was offered in electric ”.
Differences in consumption
Alternating between the two electric vehicles also allows you to compare consumption: “We can put in negative those of the Kangoo on the highway at 130 km/h in winter, but let’s not forget that it is a utility vehicle. It’s less obvious with current temperatures. Recently, with 18°C outside, I recorded the consumption on a 31 km course with half on the road at 110 km/h, 20% at 90 and 30% in town including a slowdown of 5 km. I was already at 14.1 kWh/100 km ».
An average calculated over a longer distance is, however, more evocative: “Over my last 2,000 kilometers with a cold period, I observed 18.4 kWh/100 km mixed. However, I drive in Eco mode all the time and haven’t had many sections at 130 km/h. For comparison, with the 5 electric, I have 17 kWh over the last five months, almost on the road and highway. However, I drive much faster with it ».
Our reader’s Renault Kangoo E-Tech has a 45 kWh energy capacity battery: “In a mild temperature of 15-20° C, I can count on a range of 200 km for my use with a battery charged to 80%, and 240-250 km if it is full. In winter, these figures drop to 150 and 180 km respectively. ”.
Un modèle à conseiller ?
Hervé a aussi remarqué : «ÂOn these two electric vehicles, I have the same phenomenon of excess consumption when cold over short distances. It is very visible over the first five kilometers. I think it’s linked to a temperature management system related to the battery. Of course, if I just unplugged while charging was in progress, we don’t have that ».
Will other technicians follow? “I don’t have the impression, because for many there is apprehension and electricity can even be perceived as a chore. In the Paris region, there are around thirty of us. With those like me who have become electromobilists, we will continue to preach the good word. However, there is a fiscal interest for the company to switch to EV, less economically for the moment due to charging carried out at public terminals ».
Would our reader recommend Electric and Kangoo E-Tech to other companies? “For technicians who go to construction sites within a 50 km radius, this is largely feasible. If there is a lot of highway driving to do, the range is a little too light with this model. To be precise, I rarely waste time with my utility because my recharges are done in hidden time. For better profitability, it’s better if technicians can charge from home ”.
Automobile Propre and I thank Hervé very much for his very warm welcome and his very interesting testimony that he offered us after our call to the professionals.
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Author’s opinion
Philippe SCHWORER
