Flexis, the joint venture between Renault Group, Volvo Group and CMA CGM, has unveiled a trio of electric vans ahead of their arrival in 2026.
Debuted as the company enters its industrialisation and pre-commercialisation phase, the vehicles offer up to 279 miles / 450km of WLTP range and will be backed by a ‘holistic ecosystem’ of services to support the entire urban logistics lifecycle.
Flexis has already invested €350m (£293m) and is developing 100% electric, 100% connected, 100% urban-centric and 100% customisable urban logistics vehicles based on a common EV-native skateboard platform, equipped with software-defined vehicle (SDV) electronic architecture developed by Ampere of Renault Group.
The business is also working on embedded software and services to support logistics providers efficiently electrify fleets and respond to growing urban logistic challenges.
It’s already secured 10 letters of intent across France, the UK and Germany – including from Colis Privé, Hived and DB Schenker – with a potential vehicle demand of up to 15,000 vehicles over three years.
The family comprises three models: the step-in van, the cargo van and the panel van. All three are designed with logistics operations in mind to significantly improve efficiency and are built on a shared EV-native skateboard platform. Features include a low floor height to ease the loading and unloading of parcel, full customisation capability for the interior without the constraints of retrofitted hardware, along with high-capacity battery solutions allowing for fast charging (80% in less than 20 minutes).
The platform enables the vehicles to send real-time data to fleet management operators to maximise operational efficiency, as well as receive over-the-air updates, essentially making the vehicle a computer on wheels.
The vehicles are designed with “superior” ergonomics to increase driver safety and provide the comfort of a passenger car.
The step-in van features front sliding doors and a rear shutter door for loading optimisation. The van offers easy access between the cockpit and cargo areas with 1.9m height clearance allowing drivers to comfortably walk upright throughout the vehicle.
The cargo van is adapted to urban last-mile delivery needs with an easily convertible box, capable of integrating different widths, heights and beds, as well as modular solutions including refrigerated boxes among others.
The panel van has been designed with an urban-proof, multi-purpose design said to address all limitations of current market offerings, including “superior” manoeuvrability and an overall height of 1.9m, enabling it to enter underground city parking and garages easily.
Serial production will start mid-2026 at Renault Group’s Sandouville plant in France. The company plans to sell its vehicles directly to logistics providers and fleet managers and will also supply the vehicles to Renault Group and Renault Trucks, which will distribute them under their own brands in their sales networks.
Flexis is also developing a portfolio of B2B-orientated services to help logistics operators decarbonise and improve operational efficiency. The Flexis fleet management solutions are developed based on an open platform leveraging the capabilities of the Software Defined Vehicle and able to seamlessly integrate the vehicles in the existing digital environments already existing at customer operations.
Flexis services are centred around four main pillars: uptime management, operational efficiency, energy and charging infrastructure management, and financial services, and will be delivered through a central digital platform for Flexis clients, called the FlexE Connect, along with existing service networks across Europe supported by Renault Group and Volvo Group, and a Customer Operational Centre.
Philippe Divry, CEO of Flexis, said: “Our mission at Flexis is to support and accelerate the electrification of the urban logistics industry, which is looking to operate more sustainably, improve profitability and improve the operations security and safety for drivers in a sector that continues to grow.
“Since the creation of Flexis, we have worked with customers and logistics players to co-create the services to meet operational needs and improve the B2B offer on the market with a solution that is 100% electric, 100% connected, 100% customisable and 100% designed for cities.”
Mathias Krieger, co-founder and CEO of UK logistics firm Hived – one of the potential customers for the new vans – commented: “Hived is looking to reinvent mass-market package logistics focused on customer centricity, electric transport and technical innovation. We are excited to influence the development of vehicles truly adapted to our use needs and to the reality of our delivery services.
“Because we already have a proprietary technology stack and are working with Flexis to integrate and co-create solutions that will support drivers and amplify operational efficiency. We look forward to integrating the vehicles into our operations and measuring the impact we will have on the road and more largely on influencing the future of the sector.”
