Forest Green Rovers invests in fully electric Renault minibus

UK football club Forest Green Rovers has taken delivery of its first fully electric team minibus – a Renault Trucks Master E-Tech.

Liveried in the EFL League Two side’s colours of lime green and black, the new 14-seat L2H2 MWB minibus replaces an older diesel model, and will take an estimated 6.4 tonnes of CO2 off the road each year.

According to Renault, the Master E-Tech minibus provides a range of around 120km – ideal for operating on local routes.

It will be used primarily to transfer the Forest Green Rovers’ Academy and Ladies teams between training grounds, as well as supporting local marketing events around Gloucestershire and transporting club sponsors and VIPs on match days.

The minibus is powered by a R75 electric motor and 33kWh batteries charged using 100 per cent green energy from power firm Ecotricity that includes some energy generated onsite from solar panels on the stadium roof.

Dale Vince, chairman of Forest Green Rovers, said: “Renault Truck’s new minibus is a great addition to FGR’s growing fleet of electric vehicles. It’s perfect for our academy and will help us as we drive the last bits of fossil fuel use out of the club and our carbon footprint to zero.”

Alex Williams, Renault Trucks head of brand and communications added: “As the first commercial vehicle dealer network in the UK to commit to net zero by 2030, Renault Trucks firmly shares Forest Green Rovers’ sustainability ambitions.”