Automotive Engineer

Nobody in the industry doubts that electric vehicles (EVs) have a crucial role to play in meeting society’s needs for sustainable personal mobility.

But everybody seems to have a different view of when and how a business case can be made for them.

Renault thinks the time is now. Perhaps in the same way that Toyota gained its technological and marketing advantage with hybrids by launching the Prius when there were more critics than followers, Renault may be able to do the same with its EVs.

Matthieu Tenenbaum, Renault’s deputy programme director for electric vehicles, says: “Someone always has to go first – I wouldn’t say that it’s a big risk, it’s a strategic move. We’re seeing more and more carmakers moving to electric. Looking back two years, we were the only ones talking about a complete range of EVs – now everybody wants one but we started earlier. Because of this, and because we have the battery technology now, I hope we’re a step ahead.”

Renault’s B-segment Zoe, shown in near-production form at the Paris motor show, will be out in mid-2012. Margins will be tight on such a small car but, at the moment at least, there are no obvious rivals.

Tenenbaum says that it won’t be a niche model. The idea, he says, was to come up with a compact vehicle that would fit the needs of two-car households which have one vehicle for long-distance driving and the other just for commuting: “The Zoe will replace the commuter car. We designed the platform and the vehicle around the battery and the electric powertrain,” he says.

The lithium-ion battery is located under the floor so the Zoe still has rear seats and usable trunk space. Doing this also lowers the vehicle’s centre of gravity. Handling will still be important, as well as the running costs.

“People will go for it because they want to go green and because it will be affordable,” says Tenenbaum. “But they’ll also like its dynamics – they will enjoy electric driving.” The Zoe is designed for cities, not the motorway – its top speed is 135km/h. Optimising aerodynamic efficiency wasn’t a priority, but its drag co-efficient is still a relatively low 0.29, so it should cruise quietly.

Low levels of cabin noise are part of the EV experience, but to further enhance that, or perhaps to remind consumers why they’ve paid more than they would for a Clio, Renault has paid a lot of attention to the interior. 

The HVAC system is pretty sophisticated for a small car, controlling not only temperature but humidity too. And a scent diffusion system developed with cosmetics firm L’Oréal will release either relaxing fragrances for the stressful commute to work or those designed to improve concentration for night driving.