Renault is planning to offer a range of battery capacities for its electric vehicles in the near future, enabling drivers to choose between long range and low cost to suit their needs.
Renault could soon offer multiple battery options for the ZOE, as Nissan and Tesla offer for their electric vehicles
Eric Feunteun, Head of Renault Electric Vehicles, said the company is working to improve energy density through better cell chemistry, to provide longer-range batteries within the same physical space – just as Nissan has recently started offering two versions of the LEAF, and Tesla has multiple options on the Model S and Model X.
“If you ask somebody if they want a larger range the answer is, of course, yes,” he explained. “Then when you move from emotion to facts, and you have a choice between 100 and 200 miles, and the cars with difference prices, the reaction becomes more rational. Some would definitely need the 200, either because they have less constraint in terms of cost or because they use it for 200. Others say they have enough with 100, and they can manage with it.
“I think two routes that will open, not only for Renault but for the market. One focusing on range, one route focusing on cost of ownership. The two routes are important, especially when you consider in the long term that the incentives might be reduced, so that’s how we see the future.”
Partnership allows Renault to reach new audiences through music and showcase electric vehicle line-up
ZOE and Twizy to be used around the Eden Project during the Eden Sessions
Renault was Europe’s leading EV manufacturer in 2015
Renault becomes the Official Car Partner of the Eden Sessions
Renault has become the Official Car Partner of the Eden Sessions in a deal with the Eden Project in Cornwall.
Renault will use the sponsorship to demonstrate and promote their Z.E. electric vehicle range, including the ZOE and Twizy models, and to reach new audiences in the South West and beyond.
Rita Broe, Marketing Director, Eden Project, said:
“This is a great partnership for Eden, and for the Sessions. We are keen to promote the benefits of electric vehicles in reducing carbon emissions, and look forward to working with Renault to do that in a fun and engaging way.
“This year looks set to be one of the best Sessions seasons ever and we are delighted Renault will be part of it.”
James Boyer, Marketing Director, Renault UK, said:
“As electric vehicle market leaders in Europe, we are passionate about our zero tailpipe emissions vehicles and the great benefits they have for the environment, air quality, running costs and driver enjoyment. Partnering with the Eden Sessions is a great fit for Renault, something we are very excited about and we look forward to showcasing our Z.E. electric range to Eden concert goers over the summer months.”
The Eden Sessions are a series of outdoor gigs at the Eden Project, featuring some of the best acts in the world playing against the backdrop of Eden’s famous Biomes. The 2016 Eden Sessions will see Lionel Richie (June 14 and 15 – both sold out), Tom Jones (June 26 – sold out) and Jess Glynne (July 14 – sold out) each play shows against the backdrop of Eden’s world-famous Biomes. More acts will be announced in the coming weeks. The Eden Sessions enter their fifteenth year in 2016.
The Eden Sessions has its own free-to-view online TV channel (www.youtube.com/edensessionstv) featuring regularly-updated videos of some of the gigs’ finest shows.
Eden has long been a supporter of electric cars and has hosted events to showcase some of the ground-breaking vehicles now available. The project also has charging points for electric cars available for its visitors.
Renault is the leader in EV sales in Europe – ZOE is Europe’s best-selling all-electric passenger car and the Kangoo Van Z.E. is the best-selling electric LCV. The award-winning Renault Z.E. range consists of the ZOE hatchback, the Twizy – a fun, distinctive, urban runaround and the Kangoo Van Z.E. – a commercial vehicle that is identical to a normal Kangoo Van but with all the advantages of an EV, including no tailpipe emissions. In 2015, UK sales of the ZOE more than doubled compared to 2014 to 2,053 vehicles. Renault is a pioneer of the electric vehicle market with more than 83,000 EVs sold worldwide to date.
In 2015, Renault was the best performing brand in EV sales in Europe
Renault’s EV sales rose 49 per cent to 23,086 units in 2015, with a 23.6 per cent market share
ZOE is the best-selling all-electric car in Europe
Kangoo Z.E. is the best-selling all-electric LCV in Europe
Renault ZOE (Image: Green Car Guide)
Renault is the best performing brand in Europe in electric vehicles sales, with a market share of 23.6 per cent (or 25.2 per cent including Twizy) and 23,086 units registered in 2015 up 49 per cent on 2014. One out of five electric cars sold in Europe was a Renault Z.E. vehicle in 2015.
The European all-electric vehicle market stands at 97,687 units, up 47.8 per cent compared to 2014. In Europe, the EV market represents a 0.61 per cent market share (up 0.16 per cent compared to 2014) of the overall car market.
Renault ZOE is the top-selling all-electric passenger car with its market share increasing by 2.2 percentage points to 19.2 per cent and 18,453 new registrations in 2015. It performed particularly well in France, where it recorded a 48.1 per cent market share (versus 41.2 per cent in 2014) and 10,670 units sold, thanks to the “superbonus” incentive set up by the French government in April 2015. More than half of ZOE sales in France benefitted from the incentive.
Renault Kangoo Z.E. is the best-selling electric LCV in Europe with 4,325 units sold in 2015, accounting for 42.6 per cent of the all-electric LCV market.
Renault has sold the most EVs between 2010 – the year the first EV was launched in Europe – and 2015, with a record of 62,228 units sold. Since its launch, 16,331 units of Renault Twizy were sold.
Renault Z.E. models sold in Europe in 2015:
ZOE, a compact hatchback launched in 2013;
Kangoo Z.E., the electric version of Renault’s LCV launched in 2011;
Twizy, an urban two-seater quadricycle, launched in 2012
In the UK, ZOE sales were up 102 per cent in 2015 to 2,053 vehicles, significantly outpacing the UK electric vehicle market, which was up 48 per cent (including Twizy) on 2014. ZOE is the second best-selling electric car in the UK representing one in five EVs sold.
If you thought electric cars have become a bit commonplace, how does the idea of an electric van strike you?
Meet Nissan’s e-NV200, an all-electric van that uses a modified version of the same powertrain as the best-selling Nissan LEAF, but with all the practicality of a much larger vehicle.
With seven seats, a surprisingly entertaining drive and running costs that cost as little as just 2p per mile, the e-NV200 certainly looks attractive on paper, so what’s it like in the metal?
Mitsubishi happily announced another accolade for the Outlander PHEV, but this time the for 4Work van version captured the award.
Outlander PHEV GX3h 4Work
What Van? awarded the two-seat Outlander PHEV 4Work The Green Award.
What Van? Editor Paul Barker said:
“The Outlander 4Work PHEV is a trail-blazing model that was a natural choice for the What Van? Green Award, combining zero emission motoring and an absence of range anxiety. This technology is currently unique in the sector but gives businesses a flexible and cost-efficient way into more environmentally friendly operation.”
For Mitsubishi, it was an especially successful result as the conventional Mitsubishi L200 Series 5 picked up the accolade for The Light Commercial Vehicle of the Year and The Pick-up of the Year.
Vehicle dealership Vic Young (South Shields) has adapted a fully-electric Nissan e-NV200 Combi to offer full wheelchair accessibility.
Electric Vehicle Evolution (EVE) is based on the Nissan e-NV200 Combi, which has been customised by Northern Truck Bodies (NTB), the company’s specialist on-site conversion arm.
The conversion includes a vehicle ramp system, to ensure that the wheelchair user can access the vehicle with ease. EVE’s five standard passenger seats are retained even while a wheelchair user is on board.
Vic Young, managing director at NTB and Vic Young, said:
“EVE is an innovative and forward-thinking concept which meets the demands of service providers as it is a multi-purpose vehicle suitable for all passengers including those with reduced mobility.
“I have witnessed on many occasions how awkward it is for, say a taxi driver, to assist a passenger with mobility requirements to enter and exit a vehicle.
“Our concept eliminates this problem and once the wheelchair user enters the vehicle they will then travel on a low, flat floor, ensuring a high level of comfort for the passenger.
“We are confident that the EVE Nissan e-NV200 Combi will make a major impact in the region.”
The vehicle is aimed in particular at service providers including taxi firms, care homes, local authorities and charities.
Watch what happened when fruit delivery company Fruit 4 London and Tommy Walsh accepted Nissan’s £2 challenge. How many deliveries could they complete on one charge using the e-NV200?
Posten, the Norwegian postal service, has ordered 240 Renault Kangoo Maxi Z.E.s., marking one of the world’s biggest electric vehicle purchases so far.
The Kangoo Maxi Z.E. is well-suited to the everyday tasks of many business types, including administrative and courier companies, thanks to its official range of 106 miles (NEDC), which Renault estimates to be between 53 and 84 miles in the real world, depending on ambient temperature and driving conditions. Posten’s red Kangoo Maxi Z.E.s will mostly be used in areas of high population density.
Posten, which already has a fleet of 900 electric vehicles (cars, bikes, quadricycles, trailers), is taking a further step forward in environmental responsibility with the purchase of Kangoo Maxi Z.E. The service is targeting a 40 per cent reduction in its CO2 emissions by 2020, a substantial measure considering Posten alone accounts for no less than one per cent of CO2 emissions in Norway as a whole.
Over the last few years, electric vehicle sales in Norway have been stimulated by a committed government incentive policy. At the end of 2015, electric vehicle sales account for 20 per cent of all new vehicle sales in the country. It is expected that there will be 200,000 electric vehicles across the country by 2020, accounting for 10 per cent of all cars on Norwegian roads.
In Norway, electric cars are exempt from VAT and road tax. They pay no parking fees, road tolls or ferry charges, and they are entitled to use bus lanes.
The Renault electric vehicle line-up in the UK consists of Twizy, ZOE and Kangoo Van Z.E. all providing zero emissions in use motoring, a silent and calming driving experience and strong electric power delivery at all speeds.
Carwatt presents a unique automotive application for second-life batteries from electric vehicles
On the sidelines of the COP21 summit, in the Solutions Gallery running from 2 to 9 December 2015 in Le Bourget near Paris, Carwatt and its partners —Renault, Paris City Council, BPI France, the Alès École des Mines Engineering School, and the Bobigny Business Campus — are showing a very special electric Renault Trafic. This prototype vehicle, the only one of kind in the world, is powered by second-life lithium-ion batteries recycled from Renault electric cars.
Circular economy at work with electric vehicles
When, over time, the batteries of a Renault electric vehicle fall the performance threshold specified for their initial automotive power duty (around 75% of initial capacity), they can still provide valuable service in “second-life” applications before end-of-life disposal at a recycling centre. Experiments are already under way on power storage applications, for example.
Carwatt develops innovative applications for using these batteries to convert used urban commercial vehicles into electric vehicles. In giving a second automotive life to these batteries, Carwatt provides a good illustration of the founding principles of the circular economy, in that the whole-lifecycle battery value is optimized through successive usages.
Lower pollution and less expense
Electric conversion of urban commercial vehicles reduces investment levels as well as makes a concrete and immediate contribution to reducing urban pollution levels, since 94% of commercial vehicles are diesel-fuelled. In 2016, Carwatt and Paris City Council will be experimenting with other Renault commercial vehicles converted to run on electricity.
Nissan is heading the electric vehicle revolution with more than 550 electric taxis now on the road in Europe.
During 2015 alone, over 100 electric vehicles were delivered to taxi companies across Europe and growth of the electric taxi market looks set to continue, as its popularity has started to take hold in Eastern Europe. Budapest company Green Lite Taxi has purchased 65 Nissan LEAFs in a bid to become Hungary’s largest zero emission fleet. To power its pioneering franchise, the company has installed seven quick chargers within the city.
C&C Taxis’s Nissan e-NV200 Combi
In Estonia, it has been reported that a Nissan LEAF owned by taxi company, Elektritakso, has clocked up over 218,000 kilometres (135,459 miles) on its original battery pack, showcasing the high quality and reliability of Nissan’s electric vehicle range.
Nissan electric vehicles – which include the Nissan LEAF and the e-NV200, a passenger and light commercial vehicle – are becoming increasingly popular among European taxi businesses, with the Netherlands and the UK topping Nissan’s e-taxi league table, followed by Estonia, Hungary and Germany…
Taxi Electric in Amsterdam was the first private taxi service to switch to a fleet of 100 percent electric taxis in November 2011. Since then, others from across Europe have joined the revolution, with the Nissan LEAF and e-NV200 now being used by taxi businesses in Stockholm, Prague, Barcelona and Rome.
Gareth Dunsmore, director of electric vehicles for Nissan Europe, said: “We are so proud to be announcing this all-important milestone. Nissan has already delivered 30 percent more e-taxis this year than in 2014 and this figure is constantly increasing, as more taxi companies realise the benefits of becoming 100 percent electric.”
