The all-electric compact commercial was sold through Marshall Renault in Milton Keynes, one of the first dealerships to become part of the carmaker’s Z.E. Expert scheme. Another 20 dealers have invested in the required equipment to service the Kangoo Z.E. and forthcoming Fluence Z.E., Twizy and ZOE due next year.

New owner Patrick Chard, managing director of Murrays the Printers in Milton Keynes, collected the van together with a bottle of champagne and commemorative glass gift earlier today. ‘It is fantastic, very exciting to be first,’ he said. ‘We made a conscious decision a couple of years ago to be as green as possible, from vehicles to printing presses and with everything we buy.

‘Renault talked us through the whole electric process and have been really good, so we had no concerns or reservations about purchasing the van. Our charging point is installed at the office – we are all ready to go.

‘It is the same size as the diesel version, with the same load capacity is exactly the same, and I’m just looking forward to getting out there now and being able to make cheaper deliveries with zero emissions. It is a win-win for us.’

Ian Plummer, director of commercial operations at Renault UK, who was present at the hand-over, added: ‘From a daring concept to a striking reality, we’re thrilled to see the fruition of years of work on our Z.E. range begin with Renault’s Kangoo Van Z.E. on sale at Marshall Milton Keynes and the other ground-breaking sites.

‘Several well-known UK companies have already ordered Kangoo Van Z.E. for their fleet requirements, so we’re sure many private customers will join Mr Chard in reaping the rewards of lower-cost and greener electric motoring.’