Category Archives: News, Reviews and Comment

Taster test of the new Renault ZOE

While the LEAF from sister brand Nissan continues to grab all the headlines associated with it being first to the party, the ZOE has built itself a loyal following since the car’s launch in 2012 and was the best-selling electric car in Europe in 2015.

What is it? The latest version of the Renault ZOE electric supermini.
Key features: New battery increases official range to 250 miles. New top trim level, updates across range.
Our view: The Renault ZOE is a definite contender amongst its electric rivals, particularly considering its versatile purchase options and now its range.
Type of review: Taster test.

For 2017 Renault has introduced a facelift for the ZOE, the major headline of which is a new 41kWh battery. This is almost double the capacity of the original 22kWh battery and pushes the ZOE’s official range to 250 miles.

Longest range

While Renault claims that this gives the ZOE the longest range of any mainstream electric vehicle, we are also told that the car’s ‘real-world’ range between charges is now between 124 miles in extreme cold and 186 miles in ‘temperate’, in other words typical, conditions. This of course makes the ZOE a very practical car indeed – how often does the average motorist clock up more than 186 miles in a day?

Renault ZOE – the look

The biggest difference between the Renault ZOE and its great rival the Nissan LEAF, in this writer’s opinion, is in exterior looks. The LEAF, with its squared-off, slanted rear end, looks different enough to be identified as such, an electric car. The ZOE, however, looks just like any other supermini – it could just as easily be a traditional petrol/diesel sister to the Clio and Twingo and is very closely related to the former.

On the road

This is not a fast car, its 0-62mph time over 13 seconds, but it feels nippy in its natural environment of urban streets. At speeds under around 40mph the torque of the electric motor is at its most efficient, and the ZOE reaches 30mph in a mere four seconds.

It’s much less fun at high speeds, on a motorway for example, because above 60mph it seriously struggles for pace. Steep gradients cause similar issues, it will get up them, but not in any hurry.

Buying a ZOE

Electric cars are not cheap and on the surface the ZOE is no different, but there is a way to spread the cost. Renault offers the option of either buying the car and battery outright, or leasing the battery and paying a monthly fee that varies based on one’s expected mileage. This also answers those concerned about the staying power of the battery, though Renault does offer a five-year/60,000-mile warranty that includes the battery retaining at least 75 per cent of its original capacity.

Verdict:

The Renault ZOE won’t write headlines for its roadholding and handling but in the urban environment that electric cars are excepted to populate it becomes a leading contender. With its practical purchase options it should be considered by anyone wanting to go electric.

Read more: The Car Expert

UK breaks solar energy record on sunny March weekend

Last weekend’s sunny weather was not only good for beers, barbecues and bees, but also drove solar power to break a new UK record.

For the first time ever, the amount of electricity demanded by homes and businesses in the afternoon on Saturday was lower than it was in the night, because solar panels on rooftops and in fields cut demand so much.

National Grid, which runs the transmission network, described the moment as a

“huge milestone”

The company sees the solar power generated on the distribution networks – or local roads of the system – as reduced electricity demand.

The sunshine meant that solar power produced six times more electricity than the country’s coal-fired power stations on Saturday.

Continued good weather saw solar power generate significant amounts of power on Sunday and Monday too, when it was providing around 15% of electricity generation. Demand on Sunday afternoon was also lower than on Sunday night.

Duncan Burt, who manages daily operations at National Grid, said:

“Demand being lower in the afternoon than overnight really is turning the hard and fast rules of the past upside down. It’s another fascinating sign of the huge changes we are seeing in Britain’s energy scene”.

Electricity demand usually peaks around 4pm to 6pm at this time of year, as people return home from work, with demand lower still at weekends. But the early hours of the morning are usually the quietest for the Berkshire control centre that monitors the grid, so a reversal is dramatic.

For the first time, on Saturday 25 March 2017, electricity demand in Great Britain was lower during the afternoon than it was overnight due to high solar generation.

Read more: The Guardian

Can an electric van work for your business?

An electric van could be the perfect opportunity to cut running costs, but do they make sense for your business? We look at the key issues

There’s something of a revolution going on in the UK van market. While diesel definitely isn’t dead, manufacturers are branching out to provide alternative fuels for buyers. That means petrol vans are making a comeback, while hybrids are in the pipeline, too. But perhaps the most intriguing option that’s available in the UK today is the electric van.

Renault Master Z.E 39

If you need a van to keep your business moving, then the running costs for that vehicle will be a key factor in your monthly outgoings. While the latest diesel vans can deliver running costs on a par with large MPVs that will help to reduce your running costs, there is another way to help slash your outgoings, and that’s by plumping for an electric van.

Battery range

The distance that you can travel on a single charge is going to be a major factor in deciding whether an electric van is right for you. At the moment, the two leading electric vans on sale in the UK are the Nissan e-NV200 and Renault Kangoo ZE. As both models use a similar electric drive system, they both have a claimed range of up to 106 miles.

Charging

The second major factor when evaluating electric van ownership is whether you have the ability to charge it up. The first thing you need is a convenient place to park the van so that you can access a charging point, whether it’s in a garage or an off-street parking space near an electricity supply.

The best way to charge a van is by using a wall box, as this can deliver a faster charge than if you plug into a conventional plug socket. Do this, and whenever you leave your van parked up overnight, you can plug it in and have a fully charged van ready to go in the morning.

Payload

Adding weight to any van has a negative effect on energy consumption, whether it’s powered by a diesel engine or an electric motor. However, just because a van runs on electricity, it doesn’t mean it’s any poorer at carrying big loads.

Price

One area where electric vans are competitive is on list price, and that’s because the Government’s Plug-in Van Grant is bigger than it is for electric cars. You can get £8,000 off the list price of an electric or hybrid van that is able to travel at least 10 miles on zero emissions electric power alone. That means the Nisan e-NV200 starts from around £15,000, which is about £400 less than the NV200 with a 1.5 dCi diesel.

Running costs

Another factor to consider is the overall running costs of an electric van. While you’ll never be at the mercy of fuel station prices, you won’t be accessing free energy. If you’re charging a van overnight, then the cost is estimated to be around £1.50 to fully charge a flat battery. As a rough estimate, you’d need to spend around £15 on diesel to cover 100 miles, so the savings an electric van can deliver are plain to see. If you’re registered as a company, you should also be able to write off some of your household energy bills against VAT, as the energy used to recharge your electric van is a legitimate business cost.

Read more: Auto Express

Vattenfall wind farms to use BMW energy storage

Sweden’s state-owned utility Vattenfall will use 1,000 lithium ion batteries supplied by BMW Group to provide energy storage at some of the power company’s wind power facilities.

The batteries, which are of the same type the auto maker uses in its BMW i3 electric car, will have a capacity of 33 kWh. They will function as back-up energy storage for when the wind power resource isn’t available.
Vattenfall will build the first 3.2 MW energy storage at the Princess Alexia wind energy project near Amsterdam, which generates 122 MW.

A larger 22 MW energy storage project will be built at the 230 MW Pen y Cymoedd wind farm in South Wales.
In August, Vattenfall won a contract with UK-based National Grid under which it will supply electric balancing services for the Pen y Cymoedd wind farm.

Source: Electric Light & Power

Renault Kangoo Z.E. Gets 50% More Range

As promised, Renault has introduced a new larger battery equipped Kangoo Z.E. with up to 50% more range.

And while we are happy to see the upgraded “ZE 33” model, and its 33 kWh pack (instead of 22 kWh), the vans battery stills looks tiny as compared to the recently updated ZOE with a 41 kWh pack.

Renault Kangoo Z.E. 33 (33 kWh)

Renault pegs the new Kangoo ZE 33 at a range of 270 km/167 miles under the NEDC rating system, which translates to about 200 km/125 miles in ‘real world’ driving conditions.

The Z.E. 33 is shared with new Master Z.E. heavy commercial van.

Renault lineup – from left Twizy, ZOE, Kangoo Z.E., Master Z.E.

Renault has also utilized a new electric motor found originally on the ZOE R75/90, rated at 60 hp (44 kW), and has replaced the original (and fairly weak) charging system. The new Kangoo ZE can charge at near twice the rate of the previous version – up to 7 kW.

As you can see, the 7 kW charging capability still isn’t near on par with the 22 kW charging found in ZOE.

Anyway, the new Kangoo Z.E. is still far better then the previous version, so perhaps we should not be too critical. Renault promises the “ZE 33” will be available on the European market from mid-2017.

Read more: Inside EVs

Blades Being Installed on Turbine 5, Yelvertoft Wind Farm (Image: T. Larkum)

Low carbon drive ‘cuts household bills’

Britain’s low carbon energy revolution is actually saving money for households, a report says.

Blades Being Installed on Turbine 5, Yelvertoft Wind Farm (Image: T. Larkum)
Blades Being Installed on a Wind Turbine at Yelvertoft Wind Farm (Image: T. Larkum)

Households make a net saving of £11 a month, according to analysis from the Committee on Climate Change.

It calculates that subsidies to wind and solar are adding £9 a month to the average bill, but that rules promoting energy efficiency save £20 a month.

Savings

The trend is being driven by government and EU standards for gas boilers and household appliances like fridges and light bulbs. These bring down carbon emissions and bills at the same time.

It means households don’t need to try specially hard to reduce energy usage – it just happens when they replace their old freezer.

The report says bills are about £115 lower in real terms since the Climate Change Act in 2008, having risen around £370 from 2004 to 2008 as international gas prices rose.

Gas and electricity use have been cut by 23% and 17% respectively, saving the average household £290 a year.

Many of the easy savings on highly inefficient devices have already been made, but the committee says it has been assured by manufacturers that more can be done.

The authors predict an annual bill reduction of £150 by 2030, driven by a mass switch to LED lights, and full take-up of more efficient condensing gas boilers.

This, they say, would more than compensate for another £100 a year rise from increased renewables deployment.

“What’s interesting, is that people aren’t having to strive to make these savings. They could save much more energy if they consciously set about it.”

said the committee chair Lord Deben

Read more: BBC News

The Pros and Cons of Electric Cars

Even though the total number of electric cars has been on a steady rise for more than half a decade (and up 38% in the USA in 2016), many organizations and individual consumers still aren’t aware of how electric vehicles compare to traditional gas-guzzlers.

Pros of Electric Cars

They’re Cheaper to Run

Performing basic calculations, the average electric vehicle can save a driver who drives 15,000 miles in a year about $850 annually on fuel. Keep in mind that these estimates have been made without taking any special charging systems into consideration. For EV owners and fleets participating in a smart charging program, the savings can be much higher.

You Can Charge at Home or at Work

One overlooked advantage of electric vehicles is the ability to charge them at home or at a parking lot. People who live in family houses can simply plug in their vehicles after they return home from work, and leave the next morning with batteries fully charged. Fleet vehicles can be charged using smart EV charging systems that offer maximum cost savings, thanks to advanced energy management tools.

There’s No Engine Noise

Noise pollution is detrimental to human health, and the engines of gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles are among its most significant sources. According to a study published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS),

“Tens of millions of Americans suffer from a range of adverse health outcomes due to noise exposure, including heart disease and hearing loss.”

The same study claims that

“nearly 100 million people in the United States (about 50% of the population) had annual exposures to traffic noise that were high enough to be harmful to health.”

They’re Quick

Most recent speed records have been achieved by electric vehicles. For example, the Tesla Model S P100D hit 60mph in 2.28 seconds, making it the first production car to reach 60mph in under 2.3 seconds. That’s because electric vehicles offer superior power-to-weight-ratios compared to traditional cars.

They’re Environmentally Friendly

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) don’t produce any tailpipe emissions, which are known to be a serious threat to human and environmental health. In comparison, the average gasoline car produces over 350 grams of CO2 per mile.

Cons of Electric Cars

Some Have Limited Range

At the moment, the biggest perceived negative of battery electric cars is their limited range, which leads to what is known as range anxiety. To give an example, the 2016 Nissan Leaf can travel up to 107 miles on a single charge. The thought of only being able to drive 100 miles on a charge worries a lot of potential customers, who think that the somewhat limited range of electric vehicles isn’t enough to meet their needs.

A Higher Initial Cost

Electric vehicles usually cost more upfront than their gasoline- or diesel-powered counterparts, but they are expected to be cheaper than conventional vehicles by 2022, even if the conventional cars improve their fuel efficiency by 3.5% a year.

Fewer Options to Choose From

New electric vehicles are being introduced on a weekly basis, but it will take years before customers will be able to choose from the same range of models as they can now when it comes to cars with internal combustion engines. After all, the first automobile, Benz Patent Motor Car, started its engine for the first time on New Year’s Eve 1879.

Read more: Fleetcarma

Smart unveiled its latest ForTwo Cabrio at the Frankfurt show

SMART Electric Drive | Fully Charged

This is the 260th episode of Fully Charged and just possibly, the very first proper, informative and clear car review. This is very much down to the talent and experience of Jonny Smith, his first time on the series (but definitely not the last).

After watching this, I know I have to up my game, I’m so thrilled Jonny could do this show with us and I’m really intrigued to hear your reaction.

Thank you Smart for flying Jonny and Mark out to Toulouse and organising the cars.