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The tranquillity and beauty of the gardens of France’s Château de Versailles, just outside Paris, have always been disturbed by traffic noise.
Four hundred years ago it was the clip-clop of horses’ hooves and the rumble of wooden wheels from the carriages they pulled. And until recently it was the hum of the internal combustion engine and the buzz of car and van exhausts.
But that has all changed thanks to Renault. As it celebrates the 400th anniversary of the birth of André Le Nôtre – the celebrated King’s gardener who created the magnificent grounds of the Château – Versailles and Renault have got together to restore peace to the place.
To monitor the 43 km of gardens, to upkeep 350,000 trees and to plant 300,000 flowers annually, the Château has taken delivery of 23 zero-emission Renaults so they can whisper around the estate… and produce no harmful emissions that might adversely affect the plants.
Its new zero emission fleet comprises ten Kangoo Z.E. models to carry valuable objects, statues, plants and tools; three Zoe EVs for service staff; and no fewer than ten Twizys for security staff who can whizz just about anywhere, including up narrow alleyways.
And, in a nod to the rich history of the Château, one Twizy has been decorated to emulate the carriage owned by the Dauphin, the future Louis XVII. Wonder what he would make of it!