Category Archives: Renault

News and reviews of Renault electric cars (including plug-in hybrids).

Renault EZ-PRO: Urban delivery goes robo

October 5, 2018Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, RenaultRepost

In a world where fast paced urbanization means that more than 60% or 70% of the population, depending of the region, will live in towns and cities by 2030, moving people is not the only task that needs to be rethought. A new era is also beginning for transporting goods: rapidity, flexibility and reliability are the watchwords of the new requirements for consumers at a time that is also seeing a rapid rise in online purchasing. This is accompanied by ever faster and more accurate delivery times with increasingly strict regulatory constraints in towns and city centers.

Providing sustainable mobility for all, today and tomorrow is Groupe Renault’s credo. To accomplish this, we are committed to offering mobility solutions that meet the needs of the many and staying true to our DNA. Tomorrow’s mobility will be electric, connected, autonomous and shared. This naturally includes the delivery of goods, and in particular what is known as “the last mile”.

Our vision for the future of last-mile delivery builds on our experience of nearly 120 years in the utility vehicle domain and our passion for innovating in order to make our customers’ lives easier. It is nourished by our DNA which places people at the heart of the design of our vehicles. It is also based on our openness to partners, who we work with in an open innovation approach that makes it possible to go further as we explore new horizons.

This is what makes this vision unique. It is articulated around four strong axes:

We believe that urban last mile delivery sector is one of the most important areas to disrupt in order to create a future that is clean, free of un-needed congestion, and efficient.
We believe that commercial delivery is flexible, and that a same platform can be used either in B2B and B2C scenarios.
We believe that delivery of parcels has to be seamless. End users can choose precisely where, when and how to have goods delivered.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we believe the future of last-mile delivery still has a human touch – someone who remains an essential link in the delivery chain.

Renault’s vision is today illustrated by EZ-PRO, a robo-vehicle concept for last mile urban delivery that includes a concierge, in a robo-vehicle scenario with human touch.

Source: Renault Media

Renault Zoe EV is the fastest selling used car in the UK

September 10, 2018Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOE, ZOE Z.E. 40Trevor Larkum

Auto Trader has revealed the Renault Zoe as the UK’s fastest selling used vehicle in July, taking just 18 days to shift off forecourts.

It is the first time a fully electric vehicle has topped Auto Trader’s national top 10 list of fastest selling used cars.

An electric hybrid variation of the Mitsubishi Outlander MPV beat petrol and diesel-powered counterparts to become the fastest selling used car in London last month, taking just 12 days to sell.

New Renault ZOE R110 2018 review

September 7, 2018Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOE, ZOE Z.E. 40Trevor Larkum

The all-electric Renault ZOE has been updated for 2018, and with it comes a new more powerful 106bhp motor

Verdict: 4 stars – The updates to the Renault ZOE bring a welcome dose of power, while keeping the old car’s usable range. Otherwise, it remains the same spacious, relaxing, all-electric supermini it was before. It’s worth sitting down to do some sums; the ZOE could save you money relative to established petrol or diesel-powered alternatives. Cars it’s more than good enough to be judged against.

There’s definitely more ostentatious electric cars than the Renault ZOE, but few are as successful. The ZOE has been the best-selling EV in Europe three years in a row, and only in 2018 did it slip behind the latest Nissan Leaf. It’s a car that is – quite literally – going quietly about its business.

To keep it fresh, the ZOE gains a range of updates for 2018. The infotainment system gets Android Auto for the first time and there’s a new purple paint finish on the options list. The range has been simplified, as well, with just two trim levels to choose from.

This Dynamique S Nav we’re testing here has all the kit you’d ever need; a seven-inch touchscreen with sat nav, auto headlights and wipers, climate control and rear parking sensors are all standard. The top spec Signature Nav adds leather seats, a Bose hi-fi (a £350 option on the Dynamique S Nav), and a rear parking camera.

The most significant upgrade comes to the motor, which produces 16bhp more than the old one. It’s an increase that is welcome on the move. While Renault quotes a 0-62mph time of 11.9 seconds (an improvement of 1.3 seconds over the old car) – at low speeds it feels much faster than those numbers suggest. The electric motor gives instant throttle response, letting the ZOE launch away from junctions and dart into gaps in traffic.

Renault Zoe R110 2018 UK review

September 3, 2018Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOE, ZOE Z.E. 40Trevor Larkum

New motor boosts electric car’s performance; it’s no every-occasion car, but it has loads of appeal as an urban runabout

What is it?

Renault’s European battery car sales champion, the Zoe, has just been tweaked and updated again.

This time, you rather suspect, the refresh represents Renault in a counter-punching mood, doing what it can to maintain the car’s market-leading position in the face of, among other rivals, a brand-new Nissan Leaf. Still, if it delivers a better car to anyone who takes the electric plunge this year, those new owners won’t be complaining.

This isn’t the most wide-ranging of mid-life overhauls. The edited highlights consist of a more powerful electric motor, an update for the touchscreen infotainment system, a new paint colour (Renault calls it Aconite Purple, and it’s the shade of our test car) and a few new pieces of interior trim.

So, having had 91bhp and 162lb ft to offer last year, the Zoe now has 107bhp and 166lb ft with which to tempt your toe, although that still leaves it shy of the outputs of the BMW i3 and Leaf by some margin. Handily, the Zoe’s motor upgrade doesn’t affect its energy efficiency or battery autonomy, with range remaining either 250 or 186 miles, depending on which of the EU’s lab test driving cycles you’re testing it on.

Renault proudly claims this is the market’s longest-range mainstream electric car, and with some credibility, at least as far as UK consumers are concerned. It’s certainly true that none of the Zoe’s current crop of electric rivals (the Leaf, i3, Volkswagen e-Golf and Hyundai Ioniq Electric) has been rated to go quite as far on a single charge.

185,000 Plug-In Cars Were Sold In Europe In First Half Of 2018

August 21, 2018BMW, e-Golf, Electric Cars, i3, i3 94Ah, Leaf, Mitsubishi, Model S, Model X, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Outlander PHEV, Renault, Sales, Tesla, Volkswagen, ZOE, ZOE Z.E. 40Trevor Larkum

June was the second-best month all time for plug-in electric car sales in Europe with more than 38,000 units put on the road.

With year-over-year growth of 37% in June, market share jumped to 2.4% (2.2% for the first half of the year).

The total sales in the first six months nearly hit 185,000 (43% more than a year ago) and it’s expected that more than 400,000 is possible in all of 2018.

Ultra-low emission registrations up 386% on first quarter of 2014 (Image: OLEV) — Ultra-low emission registrations up (Image: OLEV)

The top five best selling models in Europe – for the year are:

Nissan LEAF – 3,377 and 17,944 YTD
Renault ZOE – 3,425 and 17,016 YTD
BMW i3 – 2,002 and 11,301 YTD
Volkswagen e-Golf – 1,447 and 9,796 YTD
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – 2,174 and 9,662 YTD

Renault ZOE this time managed to beat Nissan LEAF and close the gap a little bit in the race for the best selling model.

As usual, the last month of the quarter brings some decent numbers from Tesla – 2,105 Model S and 1,829 Model X in June and 7,699 and 5,600, respectively for the year-to-date.

Europe Electric Car Sales Up 37% In June

August 9, 2018Electric Cars, Leaf, Mitsubishi, Model S, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Outlander PHEV, Renault, Tesla, ZOE, ZOE Z.E. 40Trevor Larkum

The European passenger plug-in market continues pushing forward. In June, the continent registered some 38,000 plug-in electric vehicles (PEV), up 37% relative to the same period last year and the continent’s second best performance ever.

That showing pulled the year-to-date (YTD) count to some 185,000 deliveries (+43% year over year, or YoY). In total, the 2018 PEV market share of the overall car market there is up to 2.2% (2.4% in June).

This time, fully electric cars (BEVs) grew slower (+20%) than PHEVs (+55%). Will we see all-electrics bounce back in the second half of the year?

Looking at Europe’s fuel mix, diesel continues to drop significantly (-16% YoY) in a growing market (+5.2%), while all other fuels (including CNG, LPG, …) are on the rise, profiting from the diesel-fleeing stampede. At this pace, the new registrations of diesel-powered vehicles will be virtually dead by 2025.

June saw the Renault Zoe beat the Nissan Leaf for the first time since February, with BEVs continuing to own the top positions. The Tesla Model S, meanwhile, profited from the usual last-month-of-quarter peak to join the top 5. It landed in the #4 position.

The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV managed to score another top 5 presence as well, winning at the same time the bestselling PHEV award.

Among models that landed in 2018, the best selling one is the Land Rover Range Rover Sport PHEV, which registered 235 units in June, adding to the current 498 registrations made this year.

Renault Zoe Climbs To #1 In Germany

August 7, 20182 Series Active Tourer PHEV, BMW, Cooper Countryman PHEV, e-Golf, Electric Cars, i3, i3 94Ah, MINI, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, Sales, Volkswagen, ZOE, ZOE Z.E. 40Trevor Larkum

The German plug-in electric car (PEV) market grew 23% in June, to 5,709 registrations, with plug-in hybrids (+25%) and fully electric cars (+21%) growing at a similar pace. In 2018, all-electrics are reaching 1% share, while plug-in hybrids have also grown their share to 1%, resulting in a total PEV share of 2%.

But the most interesting story on the fuels mix is the Titanic-like drop of diesel vehicles sales. In June, their sales sank 16%, to the benefit of all other kinds of fuels. Diesel now represents only 31% of the market. At this pace, diesel sales could be tot in this market by 2021. Inconceivable? Well, in 12 months, diesel lost 9% share, going from 40% to 31%.

Looking at June best sellers, BMW had a 1–2 win, with the i3 scoring 509 units, a new year best, while the 225xe Active Tourer registered 500 units, a new record for the German MPV.

The Renault Zoe was 3rd, while the surprise of the month was the #5 Mini Countryman PHEV. With 300 deliveries, it had its best result ever in Germany.

Just outside the top 5, the VW e-Golf registered only 290 deliveries, its worst performance in 11 months. Is the German brand already starting the sunset mode of its BEV hatchback?

Buyers are snapping up electric runarounds – and some are worth 30% more than a year ago

July 30, 2018Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, Sales, ZOETrevor Larkum

New data shows that 11 second-hand cars have increased in value in the last year
That’s despite each one having another 12,000 miles put on the clock
Of the appreciating models, the biggest increases came for old electric cars
The list also includes petrol and petrol-hybrid older vehicles

If you want to buy a car that will rise in value, you usually need to go for something classic or exotic – not a £6,000 runaround.

But new figures reveal a handful of family cars bucking the usual price trend and they all share one attribute, they are electric.

The Renault Zoe is top of a list compiled by price specialist HPI of second hand cars that are rising in value – and someone who bought one this time last year could potentially now sell it for 30 per cent more.

This means that if you had bought an average Renault Zoe in July 2017 for £6,300 and spent the past year putting 12,000 miles on the clock it should now be worth £1,900 more, says HPI.

Renault prepares to double output of Zoe EV

July 28, 2018Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOE, ZOE Z.E. 40Trevor Larkum

FLINS, France — Renault is preparing to double production of the full-electric Zoe at its factory here outside Paris. The surge in output as part of a billion-euro investment in electric vehicles by the French automaker.

A new version of the Zoe will appear next year, the first substantial change to the small battery-driven hatchback since its introduction at the end of 2012.

The Zoe was the top-selling EV in Europe from 2015-2017, but so far this year it has been narrowly overtaken by the redesigned Nissan Leaf, from Renault’s Japanese alliance partner.

Last year about 30,000 Zoes were produced at the Flins plant, with a total of 100,000 made since the model’s debut. Renault officials want to increase the rate of production to about 440 per workday from about 220 per day.

The factory will use its traditional August recess to prepare for the increase. This will include upgrading the in-house battery assembly area, officials said earlier this month at an event that included a tour of the plant.

The Flins factory, which opened in 1952, makes Renault Clio hatchbacks, the Nissan Micra hatchback and the Zoe on the same production line. Last year, about 63,000 Clios and 94,000 Micras were produced at the plant.

Recent upgrades to Renault’s EV range, which includes the Twizy, which is an electric alternative to a scooter, and two electric vans, have been focused on range and power, but that is about to change.

In addition to the redesigned Zoe, likely to be on the existing architecture, the company’s Drive the Future strategic plan calls for a total of eight EVs by 2022. Some of those EVs will be on a new alliance platform called CMF-EV set to debut no earlier than 2020. Vehicles on that platform will be built at Renault’s plant in Douai, northern France.

Renault Launches Electric Car-Sharing Service in Paris

July 19, 2018Electric Cars, Electric Vans, Kangoo Z.E., Master Z.E., News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, Renault, ZOE, ZOE Z.E. 40Trevor Larkum

The automaker and city officials will also collaborate on future mobility services

Many European countries are considering ending sales of new gasoline and diesel cars, but the city of Paris isn’t waiting around. The French capital has already tested a “day without cars,” and has discussed banning internal-combustion cars by 2030. That makes Paris the perfect place to launch an electric car-sharing service.

The Renault Electric Z.E. Range (Image: Renault)

Renault has teamed up with the city government to give Parisians access to electric cars. The automaker hopes the to continue working with Paris officials on future mobility services. For now, Renault is deploying a fleet of electric cars in Paris that residents will be able to access 24/7.

Cars set aside for longer journeys will be kept in designated parking lots and accessed via special stations. Other cars, designated for shorter journeys, will be accessible without the stations. Available cars will include the Renault Zoe hatchback, the Twizy neighborhood electric vehicle, and the Kangoo ZE and Master ZE vans. Renault hopes to have a fleet of 2,000 vehicles in operation by the end of 2019.

As a next step, Renault and city officials will initiate a “working group,” open to other cities and companies, “whose aim will be to think collectively about the integration of changes in mobility in the city,” a Renault press release said. The automaker hopes to involve the C40 network, a coalition of some 100 cities chaired by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.