Category Archives: ZOE

Islington Council welcomes new Renault Zoe fleet

November 10, 2020Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOERepost

Islington Council has added six Renault Zoes to its fleet as part of a gradual transition towards zero-emission vehicles.

The new additions will be used by the council’s Voids Team, who inspect and assess council properties that become empty across the borough’s near six square mile area, within its Housing Proerty Services division.

The arrival of the Council’s first Renault Zoes coincides with the upgrade of its fleet charging infrastructure. The council aims to switch more vehicles within its 500-strong fleet – spanning cars and small vans through to street sweeping vehicles and 26-tonne refuse and recycling collection vehicles – to electric.

Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Islington Council is committed to making our fleet greener, as part of our continuing efforts to clean the air that local people breathe and to help achieve our goal of creating a net zero carbon Islington by 2030.

“The use of the Renault Zoe by our Voids Team will help to achieve this goal, ensuring that the team are able to travel around the borough in an environmentally-friendly way. The team visits all kinds of locations across the borough, and the convenient size of the Zoe has proved to be hugely beneficial, ensuring that operatives can park easily. The Voids Team have also been complimentary on the ride, range and navigation system within the vehicle.”

Islington Council opted for the Renault Zoe due to the value it represented, its real-world range of up to 245 miles and flexible charging options. The vehicles were procured via The Procurement Partnership Limited (TPPL) framework agreement, which from a choice of vehicles from up to 14 manufacturers identified the Renault Zoe as the best fit for the requirements of Islington Council.

Finished in Glacier White with the addition of Islington’s Council livery, the Renault Zoes were ordered in the Iconic level of trim.

Vincent Tourette, managing director, Groupe Renault UK, added: “Islington Council covers one of the most densely populated London boroughs and we are delighted that it has chosen the Renault Zoe to help in its quest to make the region a cleaner and healthier environment and also support one of its busiest divisions.

“With councils under increasing financial strain and facing the difficult task of needing to lower their environmental impact without affecting their productivity, the Renault ZE electric vehicle range is proving the perfect solution. With our electric vehicle expertise spanning almost 10 years and our EV offering being stronger than ever, local authorities enjoy the peace-of-mind that a Renault electric vehicle is amongst the very best of its kind and that there’s a version that will certainly meet their passenger car and light commercial vehicle needs.”

Available from £26,995, on the road after the Plug-in Car Grant, the Renault Zoe offers a range of up to 245 and, with the 50KW DC rapid charge option, 90 miles of charge can be restored in 30 minutes.

We Drove 8 Electric Cars over 120 miles…

October 29, 2020Audi, Cooper Electric, e-2008, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, Hyundai, Kia, Kona Electric, MINI, News, Reviews and Comment, Niro EV, Peugeot, Renault, Volkswagen, ZOERepost

…in real conditions so you don’t have to

As it turns out, not all electric cars are created equal

Electric cars are not absolute newcomers to the car industry anymore. Over the past five years or so, most carmakers have churned out at least one electric car with plans to release a handful of others over the coming decade or so. The charging infrastructure has grown, too.

While this is obviously good news, it also leaves us (and the customer) with quite a big pond of EVs to choose from. To add more to the confusion and indecision, electric cars come in all shapes and sizes, set in motion by just one electric motor, two, or even three, and, obviously, very different price tags. Long story short, picking your next electric car might leave you scratching the top of your head. We get it.

Fret not, though. We’ve been kindly invited by Romania’s leading car outlet, Automarket, to an eight-day, eight-car real-life experiment that set out to discover just how good (or bad) the latest electric cars are in actual traffic both in and outside the city. What followed was to be known as Electric Romania 2020, basically a workshop on wheels powered by Vitesco Technologies, joined by other partners such as Michelin. The experience helped us better digest and understand both the strengths and shortcomings of today’s electric car: range-wise but also in terms of comfort, dynamics, user friendliness, tech-savviness, and overall liveability.

This is where I started feeling like doing my dissertation paper all over again. Firstly, Electric Romania was thought out and designed as a tour of Romania done with EVs.

In case you’re asking why eight days, well, the backbone of the tour consisted of eight cars – all launched in 2020 on the Romanian market – and 14 journalists and content creators that would sample the said cars.

Basically, you got to drive another car each day, and the end of which you had to fill in a form with various bits of information: distance travelled, total time of travel, charging times, how much battery you had left at the destination, how much electricity went into the battery during charging, average speed, and so on.

So, each electric car was put through its paces over eight days, but every time by a different driver with a completely different set of driving habits than the one before him and on a different route. This included highways, winding A- and B-roads through the mountainside and hillside, as well as flat, plain-splitting roads where the elevation didn’t change much.

As for the car lineup itself, this is it, in the exact order we drove them:

Porsche Taycan
Renault Zoe
Volkswagen ID.3
Audi e-tron Sportback
Hyundai Kona Electric
Kia e-Niro
Mini Cooper SE
Peugeot e-2008
From here on, each car’s battery pack, electric motor (or motors), range, other specs as well as driving impressions will be presented as it follows.

Porsche had to get its first electric car right. And good God, it did. The Taycan Turbo is not just a flurry of performance, but a smile magnet. Sitting behind the wheel in the handful of traffic jams that slowed us down is the best way to enjoy the most honest smiles I’ve been treated with in a luxury car. Some people see you in Mercedes-AMG S63 or in a Panamera Turbo and you can just read either envy or loathing on their faces. With the Taycan, it’s the complete opposite: candid, genuine smiles from folks of all ages, walking on the street or driving in the next lane.

When you’re not sitting in a traffic jam, the Taycan Turbo’s personality can flip from tame to psycho as quick as it can go from naught to 60 mph: three seconds flat with Launch Control, on its way to a top speed of 260 kph (162 mph). The acceleration is brutal. You can easily squeeze a lot of squeal out of the wider-than-life rear tires from a standstill and with a drop of bad luck, you can even fracture a vertebra before the electronic nannies kick in or you decide to lift off. Even at highway speeds, smashing the accelerator will make the Taycan squat then shoot straight up ahead. The back of your head never leaves the headrest. Even if it wants, it can’t. At this point, I’m scared just thinking of what the Turbo S can do.

For a car this wide and long, city cruising is surprisingly swift and easy, but it’s the outer roads that make your spine tingle inside the Taycan. When on, the Launch Control feature triggers the Overboost function that unlocks the Turbo’s 500 kilowatts (670 hp, 680 PS) and 850 Newton-meters (627 pound-feet) coming from two electric motors fed by the 83.7-kWh battery pack (that’s the net, usable capacity – gross capacity according to Porsche literature is 93.4 kWh).

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Council switches entire pool car fleet to Renault Zoe EVs

October 4, 2020Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, ZOERepost

South Lanarkshire Council has taken delivery of 141 Renault Zoe electric superminis, ensuring that more than a quarter (28%) of its small fleet will be fully electric.

The purchase – which represents the biggest-ever Scottish order for Renault’s electric vehicles – will see 104 vehicles used to switch the council’s entire pool car fleet away from the former diesel vehicles.

The remaining 37 Renault Zoes will be deployed across a range of council services including Roads, Housing and Technical and South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, supported by their official 245-mile range.

While the deal will cut both emissions and running costs for the council, the hope is that the chance to trial EVs in the real world will also spur employees to switch their own personal vehicles to electric ones.

The council’s vehicles are being funded by a grant of more than £1m from Transport Scotland’s Switched on Fleets Programme and will be charged by existing council charging points, backed by the addition of more chargers in the near future.

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THE CARS WITH ONE EYE ON SUSTAINABILITY

October 3, 2020BMW, Electric Cars, Ford, Hyundai, i3, IONIQ Electric, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOERepost

Recycling. It’s a word which most people know and understand. In a world faced with imminent climate change, recycling is a way for us to limit our own impact on the earth through reducing waste and turning what we’d usually throw away into something new.

Manufacturers are just as aware of this too. In fact, plenty of car makers are integrating recycled materials into their vehicles. Let’s take a look at some of the best.

BMW I3
BMW’s striking i3 is green from the off, as its fully electric powertrain has far less of an impact on the environment than an equivalent petrol or diesel-powered car. However, it goes further with an interior which majors on sustainability.

Much of the interior is made from kenaf, which is a lightweight, quick-growing material taken from the mallow plant. The dashboard is crafted from eucalyptus, while the seats are woven from sustainable wool. Check out i3 models for sale here.

POLESTAR 2
Polestar’s new 2 is a car which has been brought in to take the fight to Tesla in the electric car stakes. However, it hasn’t lost track of the end goal – to reduce environmental impact – which is why you’ll find eco-friendly techniques and materials used throughout its construction.

It uses natural fibre composites to reduce the car’s overall use of plastic while at the same time driving down weight. In addition, the seats themselves are made from recycled plastic bottles, the upholstery is entirely vegan-friendly and the carpets are made from old fishing nets too. Don’t worry – they’ve been cleaned first.

HYUNDAI IONIQ ELECTRIC
Hyundai’s Ioniq was somewhat of a trendsetter from the off, as it was one of the first cars to be offered with three powertrains – regular hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric. However, it’s just as cutting edge in other areas too.

Hyundai used recycled plastic mixed with powdered wood and volcanic stone to lower the weight of the interior plastics by an incredible 20 per cent.

Vauxhall Corsa-e vs Renault ZOE: verdict and specifications

September 24, 2020Electric Cars, Renault, ZOERepost

The Renault ZOE outshines the Vauxhall Corsa-e in several key areas, but it’s a fairly close result

Both of these electric superminis make a lot of sense for a lot of people. They’re not meant for long trips, but if you can get over that and realise that most journeys are short, especially if you live in a city, then their ranges of up to 200 miles are plenty.

The ZOE makes just a bit more sense overall, though. It’s more comfortable than the Corsa-e while also being more practical, and the interior is a nicer place to spend time. Yet the Corsa-e’s faster rapid charging capability and punchy motor mean it still has lots of appeal.

1st: Renault ZOE
The ZOE is punchy despite being less powerful than its rival, and it also has a longer range than the Corsa-e. The 50kW rapid charging compatibility is enough for most users, too. The Renault is also more spacious than the Vauxhall, with a better-quality interior, a longer warranty and slightly better infotainment – so it’s the winner here and one of the best EV superminis around.

2nd: Vauxhall Corsa-e
The Vauxhall’s lower-quality cabin, smaller boot and more cramped rear seats let it down somewhat, but in most other areas it’s good. The 100kW rapid charging is a big bonus as it’ll reduce time spent waiting around, and it has enough range for daily use. It’s agile, nippy and quite fun to drive as well, so it’s worth a look if you’re after a small EV.

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Global Plug-In Electric Car Sales July 2020: The Market Takes Off

September 14, 2020Electric Cars, Hyundai, Model 3, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, Sales, Tesla, ZOERepost

Tesla exceeds 200,000 YTD, while 9 other brands sold more than 10,000 passenger plug-in cars.

After about a year of relatively low growth or noticeable decline inf global plug-in electric car sales, July 2020 finally brings us a strong bounce up.

With close to 248,000 sales (the 4th best monthly result ever), sales improved by 76% year-over-year, and market share is up too, at 3.7% (7% decline in the overall car sales helped a little bit).

All-electric cars hold the majority of plug-in car sales (64% and 67% YTD), although growth of 63% year-over-year in July is significantly lower than in the case of plug-in hybrids (up 106% year-over-year).

During seven months of 2020, almost 1.2 million passenger plug-in cars were sold globally, which is 5% than a year ago at this point, but the perspective is positive as Europe is booming and China has returned to growth.

Model rank
The top selling models last month were:

Tesla Model 3 – 22,461 (#1 YTD: 164,800)
Renault ZOE – 9,410 (#2 YTD: 46,511)
Tesla Model Y – 7,540 (#11 YTD: 20,955)
Wuling’s Hong Guang MINI EV – 7,348 (outside top 20)
Hyundai Kona Electric – 6,257 (#4 YTD: 25,549)
The Model 3 is pulling forward quickly and is so far ahead that we can already assume it’s the best-selling car of the year 2020, just like in 2019.

Renault ZOE is really strong and clearly stands out from the rest of the pack. The time will tell whether it will be caught by others, like Model Y or Wuling’s Hong Guang MINI EV (with over 50,000 orders).

By the way, Hyundai Kona Electric passed the Volkswagen e-Golf and is now targeting the Nissan LEAF.

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Renault Samsung Launches ZOE All-electric Car in S. Korea

August 28, 2020Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, ZOERepost

SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Renault Samsung Motors Corp., the South Korean unit of Renault S.A., on Tuesday launched the Renault ZOE all-electric car to boost its lackluster sales.

The company began to receive orders for the Renault ZOE on Tuesday, with a plan to begin delivering ordered vehicles in September, a company spokesman said.

The pure electric subcompact will be imported from France after being assembled at the French carmaker’s Flins plant outside Paris, he said.

The Renault ZOE is priced at 39.95 million won-44.95 million won (US$33,600-$37,800), but it will be available for 27.59 million-32.59 million won with state subsidies, the company said.

Renault Samsung has one all-electric model in its lineup — the SM3 Z.E. compact sedan. Its three other models are the SM6 sedan, the XM3 SUV and the QM6 SUV.

The company has struggled with weak sales in Korea due to a lack of new models. Its sales fell 25 percent to 76,588 units in the January-July period from 101,718 a year earlier.

Renault holds an 81 percent stake in Renault Samsung.

Source: The Korea Bizwire

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Renault Zoe R135 Review: Still Top Of The City EV Class

August 17, 2020Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, ZOERepost

If you’re in the market for a small electric car with respectable range and city-friendly dimensions, there are, somewhat suddenly, plenty of options to pick from. Your choices include new compact EVs in the form of the Mini Electric, Vauxhall Corsa-e, Honda E and Peugeot e-208, and of course the Renault Zoe.

The latter, Europe’s best-selling electric car, has been with us since 2012 yet still looks pin-sharp and modern without straying too close to the ‘look-at-me-I’m-from-the-future’ aesthetic some EVs are guilty of.

Despite this, and with more plug-in competition than ever in the sub-Tesla Model 3 sector of the market, Renault has face-lifted the little Zoe for 2020. The changes accumulate to more of a remastering than a rewrite, with little changing on the exterior. This is no bad thing, and I think the subtly tweaked exterior still looks fresh, if a little angry from some angles.

Inside though, things have moved forward considerably. Surfaces are universally softer and more premium to the touch, while the central, portrait-orientated 9.3-inch touchscreen display is a big improvement over what went before. The system runs both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so chances are you will plug in your smartphone and use that for all your navigation, media and communication needs.

Below the sharp and responsive display are a set of physical controls for the climate and air conditioning. Hurrah! At a time when too many manufacturers are obsessed with removing tactile switchgear, all-too-often replacing them with distracting touch interfaces, Renault has made the right call. Yes, some touch-only systems work perfectly well, like that of the Polestar 2, but the reassurance one gets from rotating a knob without having to remove eyes from road can’t be understated.

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Traditional European EV Players Under Threat From Surging Peugeot

August 8, 2020e-208, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Peugeot, Renault, ZOERepost

Seemingly from nowhere, French automaker PSA has assaulted a tardy Volkswagen to deliver what could be the people’s electric car.

Yes, the Renault Zoe and the Nissan Leaf, along with strong EV players from Hyundai and Kia, rule the sub-€40,000 EV roost in Europe, but the 210-year-old Peugeot has surprised the market.

PSA has already proven itself well managed to weather the Covid-19 pandemic, with a first half profit of €595 million despite its biggest markets being locked down for months.

And now figures have emerged showing its e-208, the all-electric version of its mass-volume small hatchback, stunning the market in Europe.

The e-208, which is built on the same production lines as the combustion-powered 208 models, achieved orders of 17 percent of Peugeot’s 208 model mix across its 10 biggest European markets in June.

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Renault Zoe van revealed as practical small EV with 245-mile range

August 4, 2020Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOERepost

Light modifications to the Zoe road car include a flat floor for easy loading; exterior looks largely unchanged

The Renault Zoe Van will join the firm’s fleet of electric commercial vehicles later this year.

Created by applying modest modifications to the Zoe road car – most notably opaque rear windows and the removal of the rear seats to form a flat load area – the Zoe Van will be powered by the same 52kWh battery pack and 107bhp R110 electric motor. Its range is rated at 245 miles per charge under the WLTP test cycle, allowing for a 50% payload and 75kg driver.

Peak charging via a 50kW DC outlet allows drivers to charge from zero to 80% in 70 minutes and a 30-minute charge is enough for a 90-mile range boost. A 22kW charger can fill the battery from empty in three hours.

Load volume is rated at one cubic metre. The load bay is 1205mm long and maximum load width is 1110mm. Maximum payload is rated at up to 387kg.

The Zoe Van is available in two trims: Business and Business+. Buyers of either can opt for rapid charging capability.

Standard equipment includes a 10.0in TFT instrument cluster, 7.0in infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, manual air conditioning, electric front windows, electrically adjustable heated door mirrors, automatic headlights and wipers, full-LED headlights, 15in steel wheels and a USB socket.

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