Category Archives: ZOE

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.

Renault ZOE at our test drive event in Milton Keynes (Image: J. Tisdall)

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.

Final testing before the rouen normandy autonomous lab on-demand mobility service opens to the public

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

Métropole Rouen Normandie, Transdev Group, Groupe Renault, Matmut – partners in the Rouen Normandy Autonomous Lab initiative – are testing, with the support of the Normandy Region and Banque des Territoires, the first on-demand shared mobility service to use autonomous vehicles on open roads in Europe. The service will be made available to the public in the final quarter of 2018 with four autonomous Renault ZOE all-electric vehicles and an i-Cristal autonomous urban shuttle jointly developed by Transdev and Lohr.

The Rouen Normandy Autonomous Lab service will provide extensive coverage in Rouen’s “Technopôle du Madrillet” business park in Saint-Etienne du Rouvray through connections to the “Technopôle” tram stop. The goal is to provide mobility solutions in an area to which conventional public transportation services are poorly suited, in a first-mile and last-mile approach. Users can call a vehicle in real-time from the smartphone app.

Renault ZOE Z.E. 40 Example Colours (Image: Renault) — Renault ZOE Z.E. 40 (Image: Renault)

The vehicles will run on three routes covering a distance of 10 kilometres, with 17 stops across the district and a link to the Rouen public transportation system.

The four Renault ZOE all-electric cars used in the project are already being tested on open roads and are equipped with autonomous systems developed by Transdev and Renault. The tests cover all considerations related to typical traffic conditions, such as other vehicles, intersections, rotaries and building exits. The fleet will also feature an i-Cristal autonomous urban shuttle jointly developed by Transdev and Lohr.

After a period of tests, this on-demand experimental service is due to be made available to the public in September 2018, subject to obtaining the necessary approvals, and will the run until December 2019. This trial will provide an opportunity to fine-tune the technology and gain insight into usage and take-up among local residents to enable necessary adjustments.

Renault Confirms “New Alliance Electric Platform” New Electric Vehicle Family

July 5, 2018Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOE, ZOE Z.E. 40Trevor Larkum

One billion euros is a lot of cash, even for an automaker as successful and strong from a financial standpoint as Renault. As part of the Drive the Future strategy, the French automaker said that it’s investing more than that “to accelerate investments for the development and production of electric vehicles” in its domestic market.

Aiming to strengthen the industrial base in France, jumping on the EV bandwagon is the right thing to do. A considerable chunk of the one billion euros will go into the introduction of “a new Alliance electric platform” that will be manufactured in Douai. There, the company will open its second electric vehicle manufacturing site.

Regarding the assembly plant in Flins, Renault confirmed that it’s doubling production capacity of the Zoe subcompact hatchback. This decision comes as a result of an increase of 44 percent in registrations in 2017. The automaker’s growth in EV sales in Europe stands at 38 percent, boasting a 23.8-percent market share.

Over in Cleon, the company will “triple electric motor production capacities” and introduce “a new generation electric motor from 2021.” This news comes days after Renault updated the Zoe to R110 specification, improving the output to 109 PS.

Renault invests over $1 billion to accelerate electric vehicle production in France

June 26, 2018Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOE, ZOE Z.E. 40Trevor Larkum

With the success of the Zoe, Renault has become a leader in electric vehicles in Europe.

Now the French automaker wants to keep the momentum going with an investment of over 1 billion euros to accelerate electric vehicle production in France.

The new plan includes several initiatives.

Renault listed them in a press release today:

Introduce a new Alliance electric platform in Douai to create a second Renault electric vehicle production site;
Double ZOE production capacity and the launch of a new ZOE at Flins, the only ZOE production site in the world;
Triple electric motor production capacities at Cleon and introduce a new generation electric motor from 2021.
Invest in Maubeuge for the production of the next generation of the Kangoo family, including the electric utility vehicle Kangoo Z.E.

Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Renault, said about the announcement:

“The acceleration of our investments in France for electric vehicles will increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of our French industrial sites. Within the framework of its Drive the Future strategic plan and with the Alliance, Groupe Renault is giving itself the means to maintain its leadership in the electric vehicle market and to continue to develop new sustainable mobility solutions for all.”

Nissan LEAF Takes European Sales Crown From Renault ZOE

June 25, 2018Electric Cars, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Renault, ZOETrevor Larkum

It didn’t take long after the second-generation Nissan LEAF entered the European market in February for it to take the lead among all-electric cars in Europe.

It just knocked the Renault ZOE from its pedestal.

According to EagleAID, Nissan LEAF sales in Western Europe amounted to 11,441 in the first four months of 2018 (up 48% year-over-year) and that was enough for it to overtake the Renault ZOE.

5,790 delivered in March (Western Europe) and another 3,309 in April. The LEAF is of course the best-selling plug-in model in all of Europe as the Western part represents almost all sales.

EV triple test: Hyundai Ioniq Electric v Renault Zoe v Nissan Leaf

August 30, 2017Electric Cars, Hyundai, IONIQ Electric, Leaf 30kWh, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Renault, ZOE Z.E. 40Jo

With the announcement of the 2040 ban on all new petrol and diesel cars, we get behind the wheel of three electric vehicles to see if the future really is green.

(L to R) Nissan LEAF, Hyundai IONIQ, Renault ZOE

WHAT’S NEW?

Since the announcement of the 2040 ban on new petrol and diesel cars, all you read in the news is about how we’re all going electric. So if that’s the case, which is the best electric car to buy? We chose three to test – a Renault Zoe, Hyundai Ioniq and Nissan Leaf.

The Hyundai Ioniq is by far the newest and in our opinion one of the best-equipped. The Nissan and the Renault have both been around for some years now, and the Leaf is actually due to be replaced by a new model next year.

The Ioniq is Hyndai’s first attempt at making an all-electric car, and it’s very good.

Inside, the cabin feels solidly built and very comfortable. It also has lots of kit including, on our car, heated and cooled electric seats.

Next is the Renault Zoe, a great-looking little car with bags of character on the exterior alone. Step inside and it’s also a funky place to be. It also features the best-claimed range of the three EVs, with 250 miles on the NEDC cycle thanks to its new ‘Z.E. 40’ battery.

Finally, we have the Nissan Leaf, the oldest of the three in terms of design and this shows in its rather ungainly styling and outdated technology. It also has the lowest theoretical range with just 155 miles.

LOOKS AND IMAGE

This is where the Nissan Leaf falls down – massively. It is not appealing at all on the outside with its bulbous rear-end and huge headlights. This continues inside where it can best be described as dull and old-fashioned.

The Hyundai is in a different league. It looks fresh, funky and modern. Add a touch of colour and you have a car that will be very enjoyable to own. This continues inside too where it feels light and airy with a very easy to use dashboard and centre console.

The Renault is the best looking of the bunch. Its chic Parisian styling blends well with modern life and makes it look more premium than it actually is. However, this doesn’t quite continue inside. Although the cabin looks chic, it feels cheap, with the plastics belonging in a cheap supermini.

SPACE AND PRACTICALITY

In terms of space, all three are roughly the same, offering ample leg, head and luggage space and a plethora of cubbyholes throughout the cabin.

The Hyundai feels a tad better than the other two, and has a fairly decent-sized boot at 350 litres – enough for some suitcases or a weekly shop. You can probably fit the family dog in there too.

The Zoe feels slightly smaller in comparison, but is more of a hatchback compared to the Ioniq’s saloon looks. It has a marginally smaller boot at 338 litres, but this would definitely be enough on a daily basis.

The Nissan Leaf boasts the largest boot at 370 litres. It also has a fairly large cabin, which can easily accommodate four adults.

Renault-Nissan Alliance Cumulative Electric Vehicle Sales Approach 500,000

August 26, 2017Electric Cars, Leaf 30kWh, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Renault, ZOE Z.E. 40Jo

Renault-Nissan Alliance, after the acquisition of Mitsubishi, is now approaching 500,000 cumulative all-electric car sales – more than any other automotive group.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance includes also Mitsubishi Motors Corporation

At the end of June 2017, the Alliance counter stands at 481,151 units (some 130,000 more than year ago).

The biggest impact on the number comes from the Nissan LEAF and Renault ZOE.

The number doesn’t include plug-in hybrids – of which, new Alliance partner Mitsubishi has sold over 130,000 copies of the Outlander PHEV.

Renault-Nissan Alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn with Renault ZOE and Nissan LEAF For COP21

“Cumulative sales of electric vehicles by the companies also rose significantly to 481,151 units, reaffirming the Alliance’s role as the leading electric car manufacturer for the mass-market segment.

The increase was driven primarily by demand for the Nissan LEAF and the Renault ZOE, which remains the #1 EV sold in Europe, and Mitsubishi’s i-Miev.”

Renault-Nissan Alliance is now aiming to become industry’s number-one automotive sales group for full year 2017.

Total Renault-Nissan Alliance increased in the first six months of 2017 by 7% to 5,268,079 million.

The newly updated Renault ZOE is the best selling EV for Europe so far in 2017

Here is list of Renault-Nissan Alliance brands (excluding joint ventures in China):

Renault (includes also Dacia, Alpine and Renault Samsung Motors)
Nissan (includes also Infiniti and Datsun)
Mitsubishi

And list of plug-in models:

Renault ZOE
Renault Kangoo Z.E.
SM3 Z.E.
Nissan LEAF
Nissan e-NV200
Mitsubishi i-MiEV and other MiEV family in Japan
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

There is also Renault Twizy – a heavy quadricycle.

Source: InsideEvs