In October 2011, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that the alliance would heavily rely on its electric cars in the years to come. And true to his word, Ghosn has overseen several introductions of pure electric models such as the Fluence Z.E. and the Twizy.
At the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, the French automaker revealed yet another EV, the production version of the ZOE supermini that will go on sale in Europe this summer available with two equipment levels, the ZOE Zen and ZOE Intens.
It even announced pricing which, in France, will start from €15,700 (US$20,620) and the battery lease will cost from €79 (US$103) per month. Customers can order the ZOE through www.renault-ze.com.
According to Renault, the ZOE is the first mass-market, all-electric car in France with such a low price as well as the first with a range of 210 km (130.5 miles) and the ability to be charged at any power level up to 43kW between 30 minutes and nine hours thanks to the Chameleon battery charger.
Its innovative Range OptimiZEr, which combines a kinetic energy recovering system, a heat pump and energy efficient Michelin Energy E-V tires, offers a real-word range of 100 and 150 km (62-93 miles) in cold and mild weather respectively.
The ZOE has an Eco-mode that is activated by a switch in the center console and optimizes its range by adjusting the performance of the electric motor and the climate control system.
Renault’s all-electric hatchback also features the R-Link seven-inch touch screen with speech recognition that controls function as TomTom Live navigation and the audio system.
Moreover, the ZOE sports the My Z.E. Connect Pack which enables the driver to access vehicle data remotely by using his smartphone or computer, and Z.E. Voice, an exterior sound system that warns pedestrians and offers a choice of three sounds (Pure, Glam and Sport).
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