The group, which was assembled by La Poste chairman Jean-Paul Bailly, was invited to meet regularly with EV manufacturers taking part allowing an open discussion of their specific requirements and how electromobility could meet these needs.

At 15,637 units, the bulk of the order is made up of Renault’s all-electric Kangoo Z.E. van, with some 10,000 of those going to La Poste. Utility company ERDF is the second largest buyer at 1,500 units, while UGAP has placed an order for 1,200.

Among the other large orders included are a further 510 Kangoo Z.E.s going to environmental solutions supplier Veolia Environnement, electricity supplier GDF-Suez is taking 450 and construction company Spie will add 330 to its fleet.

Jerome Stoll, Renault’s  executive vice president, sales and marketing & light commercial vehicles, commented: 'This success by Renault confirms the relevance of our electric vehicle offering – products and services alike – with business customers. The 19 large companies acquiring Kangoo Van Z.E. were attracted to its intrinsic qualities and by our original business model, based in particular on battery rental.

‘I would like to thank sincerely the customers in the call for bids that placed their trust in us and the Renault employees that made this possible.’

According to French news agency AFP, the remainder of the order consists of over 3,000 vehicles from PSA, comprising the all-electric Citroen C-Zero and Peugeot iOn.