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Published on February 12th, 2019 | by Steve Hanley
February 12th, 2019 by Steve Hanley
The Renault Zoe is the best-selling electric car in France and the second best-selling electric car in Europe behind its cousin, the Nissan LEAF. Later this year, a restyled and updated version will begin production at the Renault factory in Flins where capacity is being boosted from 220 cars a day to 440 cars a day. The new Zoe will feature a 40 kWh battery pack with new cell chemistry and a more powerful 109 horsepower motor. Range using the new WLTP standard is given as 250 miles, according to a report by French news source L’Argus.
Appearance-wise, the new car will closely resemble the current model with some styling cues taken from the Zoe e-Sport as driven by Fully Charged in 2017. New interior appointments will closely resemble the upcoming Renault Clio 5. “Like the Clio 5, the Zoe will offer level 2 of autonomous driving with Lane Keeping Assist, Active Cruise Control and a Traffic Jam system that will allow it to stop and restart without the intervention of the driver,” says L’Argus.
Eric Feuteun, director of the electric car program for Renault, says the new Zoe will have an onboard 3 phase 22 kW charger and will be compatible with CCS Combo chargers with up to 100 kW of power.
The Zoe currently starts at €33,000, but L’Argus expects the new car will list for €30,000 in order to compete successfully with the new Volkswagen ID branded electric car expected to go on sale in Europe later this year, which is expected to start at €28,000. Also, PSA group has an new electric Peugeot 208 arriving this fall as well.
No further details about the new Zoe are available at this time, although Renault may have more to say about the car at the Geneva auto show next month. Two things stand out in what we know so far. One, the price of batteries must be coming down if the new car will sell for less than the current model, both of which have a 40 kWh battery and 250 miles of WLPT range.
Two, WLPT is better than the old European standard but is still optimistic compared to EPA ratings. If the Zoe ever crossed the Atlantic to America, which is unlikely, its EPA range would probably be more like 220 miles of range. Still, an updated, peppier car for less money is a good thing and proof that the electric car revolution continues to move in the right direction.
About the Author
Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Rhode Island and anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. His motto is, “Life is not measured by how many breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away!” You can follow him on Google + and on Twitter.
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