Renault Zoe

Zoe City Car Concept (2005)

The Renault Zoe City Car concept (or Z17) was shown at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show featuring 3 seats, the 3.45m long open top vehicle was proposed as an urban focused car. This Zoe had no connection with the later electric Zoe concept to follow four years later.

Zoe Concept (2009)

The Renault Zoe Concept was shown to the public in 2009 at the Frankfurt Motor Show to show the company's vision for a Clio sized electric car. It was powered by a 95 bhp (71 kW; 96 PS) electric motor (mounted at the front) and lithium-ion batteries (under the seats). It was estimated it would have a range of 100 miles and a top speed of 90 mph (140 km/h), and could be charged at a conventional 230 V socket, or fast-charged from a high-voltage supply to 80 percent in only 20 minutes. A third innovative option was to swap the batteries for a new pack at a Renault Quickdrop centre.

The design was tear-drop shaped featuring a see-through roof features solar panels which run the air-conditioning system and gull-wing doors. A new climate control system was also shown, developed with L'Oréal, which could spray essential oils into the interior to cut out harmful exterior smells, or rehydrate the interior to prevent skin drying out.

Zoe Preview (2010)

The Zoe Preview, a substantially revised version of the Zoe concept, was shown to the public at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, and was claimed to be a near-definitive representation (90% showroom ready) of the final version of the car. Many of the existing design features of the 2009 concept model were discarded such as the gull-wing doors.

The technical specifications had changed from the 2009 version with the power of the electric motor reduced to 79 bhp (59 kW; 80 PS), a reduced top speed of 84 mph (135 km/h), but still with a 100-mile range. It was suggested that the Zoe ZE would be priced from €15,000.

A planned Renault battery plant near Paris that will supply batteries for the vehicle was delayed due to technical constraints. Construction was to start in the second quarter of 2012 and production of batteries was expected to be delayed to 2014 or 2015. Instead, Renault will have to buy batteries from a joint venture between Nissan Motor and NEC, and from LG Chem of South Korea.

Production version

The production version of the Zoe was announced in March 2012 at the Geneva Motor Show. Similar to the 2010 version and the design credited to Jean Semeris, it is a five-door supermini at 4080 mm long, a little longer than the Renault Clio. Retail customer deliveries began in limited number in France in December 2012, and Renault planned to increase availability during the first quarter of 2013. The first Zoe was delivered to Arnaud Montebourg, French Minister of Industrial Recovery. In France the Zoe pricing starts at 20,700 €(US$27,250) before applying the existing 6,300 € (US$8,300) tax incentive, plus a monthly fee for the battery. The cost of leasing the battery for 36 months starts from 79 €/month (US$104/month) for an annual distance travelled of 12,500 km (7,800 mi) and includes comprehensive breakdown assistance.

The Zoes produced until June 2015 are powered by a 22 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, driving a 65 kW (87 bhp) synchronous electric motor supplied by Continental (the Q210). Maximum torque is 220 N·m (162 lb-ft) with a top speed of 135 km/h (84 mph). The NEDC cycle range is 210 km (130 mi). Renault estimates that in suburban use, the Zoe can achieve around 100 km (62 mi) in cold weather and 150 km (93 mi) in temperate conditions. The car features a charging system called "Caméléon" (Chameleon) charger that allows the Zoe to be charged at any level of power, taking between 30 minutes and nine hours. The particular type of grid system in parts of Norway with a different potential for the protective ground requires a special charger, which is included with all Zoes in Norway for summer 2015.

In June 2015, Renault announced the introduction of a new, smaller electric motor called the R240, manufactured at its Cléon engine plant. The new motor has the same power and torque that the Q210 unit with an extended NEDC cycle range of 240 km (150 mi). However, the Q210 would still be available as the R240 did not allow quick charging.

In October 2016 at the Paris Motor Show, Renault unveiled a 41 kWh lithium-ion battery called the ZE40. The battery was developed by Renault and its partner LG Chem, and is assembled at the former's Flins plant. It is mounted on Zoes using the R75/90 motor (formerly R240, the name now doing reference to the motor power output range between 75 PS (55 kW) and 90 PS (66 kW)) and increases the car range to 400 km (250 mi) under NEDC and allows quick charging. According to Renault, the battery delivers about 300 km (190 mi) on real driving conditions. Older Zoes using the battery would get a less significant range increase because of various design upgrades. Options to buy the battery would be available, and also revised lease plans.

In France, pricing of the Zoe with the 41 kWh battery starts at 23,600 € (~ US$26,460) before any applicable government incentives (6,300 € or US$8,300), and without the purchase of the battery. The rental fee for the battery is 69 € (~ US$77) per month for 7,500 km (4,700 mi) and 119 € (~ US$133) per month for unlimited mileage. In Norway, pricing starts at 229,400 kroner (~ US$28,760), and the pricing of the variant with the original 22 kWh battery starts at 40,000 kroner (~ US$5,000) less than the 41 kWh variant.

Safety

The Zoe received a five-star Euro NCAP 2013-rating. The score was:

Sales and markets

Retail customer deliveries began in limited numbers in France in December 2012, and availability was increased during the first quarter of 2013. A total of 48 units were registered in France during December 2012, and cumulative sales reached 5,559 units through December 2013. The Zoe became the top selling all-electric vehicle in the country in January 2013, and kept the monthly lead through December 2013, representing 62.8% of electric car sales in the country during 2013. In addition, the Zoe became the best selling electric car in France accounting for registrations in the electric passenger car segment since 2010 through December 2013.

Deliveries in the UK began in March 2013, and Germany, Italy and Spain in April 2013. Cumulative global sales totaled 8,874 units through December 2013. Out of 8,792 cars sold in Europe through December 2013, 62.7% were sold in France (5,511). Germany was the second top selling market, with 1,019 units delivered through December 2013, followed by the Netherlands with 547 units registered.

The Renault Zoe was officially launched in the Norwegian market in April 2014, though retail deliveries began in late March. Unlike other European countries, the Zoe is sold in Norway with the battery pack included and there are no battery leasing options available. A total of 11,323 Zoes were sold globally in 2014. France continued as the top selling market with cumulative sales of 11,529 units, and the Zoe continued as the all-time best selling electric car in the country, with 5,970 units sold in 2014. Global sales reached the 10,000 unit milestone in January 2014, and the 25,000 mark in May 2015. The milestone of 50,000 units produced was reached in April 2016. Zoe sales achieved the 50,000 unit milestone in June 2016.

With a record 10,406 units sold in 2015, the Zoe was again the top selling all-electric car in France, and continued as the best-selling electric car in the country ever. The Zoe, with 18,453 registrations, was the top selling pure electric car in Europe in 2015. The Zoe ranked as the world's 8th best-selling electric car in 2015. As of June 2016, France remained as the Zoe's top country market, with 27,155 units registered since its inception in 2012. Zoe sales in the French market represented 53% of global sales.

The Zoe ranked as the best-selling all-electric car in Europe for the second year in a row in 2016 with 21,735 units delivered, representing 21.2% of the segment sales that year. Also, the Zoe topped European sales in the broader plug-in electric car segment, ahead of the Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV, the top selling plug-in in the previous two years. In 2016 the Zoe ranked again as the world's 8th best-selling electric car. Cumulative global sales totaled 61,205 units through December 2016 including both the passenger and cargo variants, making the Zoe the world's all-time eighth best selling plug-in car.

Recognition

The Zoe was one of the top three finalists for the 2013 World Green Car of the Year.

Criticism

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has criticised Renault's decision to lease the Zoe battery packs to consumers as a rental service with an alleged Digital Rights Management (DRM) software. They claim it could render the vehicle unusable if the owner ceases payment or Renault withdraws support. Renault's monthly fee for the battery and its alleged use of DRM has also been strongly criticised by some technology writers. However, Renault in November 2013 publicly denied the use of DRM technology through its official Twitter account.

Name dispute

In May 2010, a Parisian woman called Zoe Renault commenced legal action to try and force Renault to re-think their choice of name amid claims it would lead to mocking jibes. In November 2010, a French judge ruled that Renault could use the name.

Motorsport

Renault entered three Zoes (Z.E. ZOE Team) into the 5th ZENN (Zero Emission No Noise) Montecarlo Rally held from 21 to 23 March 2014. A Zoe ended first on the general classification.