Renault chose Portugal as the backdrop for the international presentation of the first exclusively electric city, the Renault ZOE.
When I was invited to the presentation of the townsman who is supposed to start a new era, I suspected. I've never driven an electric car, I confess. What I had read and heard about electrics was either very good or very bad. I hand the key back to the Renault manager with a smile on my face and the feeling of being completely surrendered to the idea that there is a second family car that is almost perfect. It was a full day and the Renault ZOE is to blame. Let's go back.
Renault is the first to say that this is a second car par excellence to have in the garage. For me “a second to have in the garage” has always been a Porsche or a Ferrari, classic or new, it doesn't matter. Just spend a lot, have epic engine work and unmistakable style. The truth is, I don't do math when I think like that. It's more a whim than a real idea to think of keeping as a second car a car that I'll eventually be able to afford, it's a dream, not a reality.
We had already previewed this presentation taking place in Portugal here. Renault created the perfect compromise between a second car that we can afford, makes no noise, wears (almost) nothing and an unmistakable styling, while reinventing the concept of a second family car, making it the first.
Unmistakable on the outside, near-perfect on the inside
The Renault ZOE exudes electricity and all of it is an ode to zero emissions, without being excessively futuristic, or simply a bit of “poorly crumpled” sheet like many electric cars that have appeared in the car market, does not go unnoticed. The exterior design was submitted to a competition by Renault and completely reflects the will of Jean Sémériva, the designer who won the competition – a trait of “purity and emotion”, inspired by a drop of water. The suspicious traditionalists will say that this is all marketing. True, but the words chosen fit you like a glove and marketing is rarely as assertive. The large Renault logo, characteristic of the new models of the French brand, is present.
Also on the outside, the details alluding to its characteristic of an electric car go beyond the bodywork design. It's easy to identify as a tram, blue is all over the place – windows tinted to dark blue, tail lights that only turn red when you brake or turn on the lights, and front optics with dominant blue.
Inside, the environment is all ZEN and was thought out down to the smallest detail. The feeling on board is one of peace and serenity, dominated by light colors and an unprecedented luminosity in the SUV segment. We quickly forget about the hustle and bustle of the city and psychiatrists who fear for their careers, as well as pharmaceuticals – the Renault ZOE has a 5-passenger, anti-depression interior.
In a first general assessment, the interior lacks the quality of plastics that are inferior to the segment, however, they do not disappoint completely, but this prevents you from having a perfect interior. The trunk is bigger than that of the Renault Clio, being one of the largest in the segment, with 338 liters.
Smart and comfortable interior
Plastics do not get a 10 grade and this has been recurrent in the French brand, however, to offer an affordable product, they had to cut somewhere and are the first to assume that in order not to exceed the target of 13 thousand euros (price before tax ) was a necessary evil. But what the Renault ZOE loses in plastics, it will gain in everything else and to be honest, at the end of a day between the steering wheel and the hanging place on board the Renault ZOE, this detail goes unnoticed.
The equipment dedicated to passenger comfort is a strong point and is far above the average for its segment , being innovative in most aspects. From a pre-heating system, which allows you to prepare your car through your smartphone or computer, to the desired temperature before leaving, an air filter that makes the indoor air cleaner and free from elements that could cause allergies, or even a system Advanced air conditioning that keeps the indoor humidity level at the correct standards to prevent skin dryness.
In the relationship between comfort and batteries, the pre-heating system is limited to 5 minutes when the Renault ZOE is disconnected from the mains. When connected to the mains, this system uses only power from the mains, saving batteries. The Renault ZOE is, as you can see, an ode to comfort.
In the Zen version, the version I tested, the Renault ZOE has a “Take Care By Renault” pack available that includes a toxicity sensor, a relaxing and purifying air ionizer, an active odor diffuser and waterproof Teflon upholstery and stains. The Renault ZOE Zen version also comes with a quick cleaning kit – specialized Renault products adapted to the Renault ZOE plastics and upholstery. Yes, mothers and fathers of this world, children can play freely. For those who had doubts when I said it was "Zen"...
Focused on the driver and driving
The instrument panel is digital and very intuitive. We can get all the information at the moment of battery status and driving style. The dashboard colors change depending on how our foot is treated to the accelerator, green and purple being the extremes of economical driving or not. Whenever we lift our foot or lock the battery's “battery” it becomes addictive, and that is the objective of so many lights and graphics.
R-Link system? Yes please!
The R-Link system makes its absolute debut as standard equipment on the Renault ZOE and is awarded five stars. This system, a tablet integrated into the dashboard on the Renault ZOE, features a set of features that make any car a real office or entertainment centre. In addition to being electric, the Renault ZOE explores its characteristics of an everyday car even further. When it's stopped, it gives us access to email, twitter and a series of applications (50 at the moment). They can even, through the R-Sound Effect application, simulate the interior sound of a Clio V6 or a Nissan GT-R . Dreaming is legitimate and even Renault jokes about the absence of sound from the engine.
We can play sudoku and other travel games to entertain adults and children at rush hour. If we are on the move, for example, we can listen to the characteristics of the nearest monuments, consult fuel prices at the gas stations that surround us – a feature that is only useful in thermal cars – the yellow pages or even the weather forecast. The Euronews app allows you to receive up-to-the-minute news and if you want the Renault ZOE even reads the news aloud. For the superstitious who want to know if the sign is on a good day, no problem, the Renault ZOE also has an integrated tarolog inside the center console…ok it's just an application, that integrated tarolog would be inhumane…ahead.
The R-Link system brings with it the TomTom Z.E Live navigation system, which in addition to a GPS is a very useful tool when we are behind the wheel of a tram in a world dominated by thermal cars. The TomTom GPS was designed to integrate a Renault electric car and the Renault ZOE is interconnected with it – during navigation we receive updated data on the distance we can travel with the Renault ZOE and if we enter a destination for which we do not have sufficient autonomy, the GPS defines the ideal charging stations for refueling along the way.
Renault ZOE, everywhere
Still in terms of technology, I cannot fail to emphasize once again the importance that the Renault ZOE gives to the relationship with the user. Wherever we are and through our Smartphone or computer, we can consult all the information about the car – battery level, charging status, autonomy, locating the nearest charging stations. Available as an extra, the My Z.E Inter@ctive pack also allows you to set the charging time and schedule a weekly time depending on the cost of electricity and CO2 emissions. With all these features, getting "on your feet" is almost impossible. After Facebook brings us games that have addicted half the world, the next one is the Renault ZOE for sure. I can already imagine the happy owners of a Renault ZOE programming the time to “feed” their car…
silent, how long is it?
"It's on?" said to the journalist with whom I shared the Renault ZOE. A tap on the accelerator made me realize yes. The path we chose was one of those proposed by Renault and was already marked on the GPS. For more than 30 kilometers, it would experience city, secondary roads with good curves in livelier progress and fast lane. Let's do it!
Despite the total absence of engine noise, when accelerating the Renault ZOE produces a slight electrical noise, like a spaceship, so that pedestrians are not surprised by a ghost car coming from nowhere. This system is called Z.E. Voice, is on by default and is activated at speeds between 1 and 30 km/h , being able to emit 3 types of sound at the driver's choice. The cadence of sound varies with speed and is managed electronically.
Dynamics and comfort are surprising
Driving is pleasant and both the comfort and the silence on board receive high marks. The seats are better than those available on the Clio IV and I liked the Renault ZOE more than the Clio in terms of overall comfort. The suspension is the main culprit and if you think that Renault was spared, they are very wrong. The front suspension is the same as the Renault Clio and the cradle and lower suspension arms are the same as the Renault Mégane. But we don't stop there – at the rear, the programmed deformation flexible axle suspension is the most robust of the brand, all this so that the Renault ZOE can manage the weight of the batteries well in corners. On a winding road, the Renault ZOE is very competent and even fun, with a light spaceship soundtrack on board.
driving position needs to improve
Also compared to the Renault Clio IV, the Renault ZOE is 35 mm shorter, has wide tracks and the body's torsional rigidity has increased by 55%. The position of the batteries close to the ground, together with these attributes, makes the Renault ZOE a car with bodywork for much more power. The driving position is elevated and the steering wheel is reminiscent of other times, times of a less dynamic Renault Clio. It's a detail to review.
balanced engine
The engine is competent and the performance, despite being very far from that of a thermal city, is convincing. With 88 hp (65 kW) and a maximum torque of 220 nm, I managed to tackle the city's climbs from the seven hills with ease. The torque is fully available in less than a hundredth of a second, making it impossible for a human being to notice the period of total absence of torque. Maybe a steering wheel god writes about the Renault ZOE and says otherwise, I'm sorry but I wasn't able to detect it. It's not the most powerful car in the world, but it doesn't let us down and if we have turned on the ECO mode, which we already know from the Clio IV, once accelerating at full speed to overtake or just because we feel like it, this mode turns off. The engine does not need any type of lubricants, significantly reducing its dependence on maintenance.
security above all
The dynamic attributes and investment in passenger safety earned him 5 stars in the EURONCAP test, where he had the highest score in side impact tests, having also obtained 32 points out of 36 possible in the “adult protection” criterion and was one of the best of segment B in child protection. The Renault ZOE is also at the top of its category in the “pedestrian protection” segment. During the development of the Renault ZOE, 90 units were literally destroyed in tests of all kinds. For a car that intends to live intensely the movement of the city, safety is essential.
battery system
For those who are concerned about the longevity and warranty of batteries, Renault clarifies: “The warranty is lifetime”. If the battery reaches less than 75% of its capacity, Renault will replace them at no additional cost. The Renault ZOE was tested to the extreme, covered more than 850,000 kilometers and the electric motor suffered the equivalent of 20 years of use.
Renault guarantees that nothing was left untested in relation to the batteries, which underwent abusive tests – combustion, fire, immersion, fall, compression, short circuit, electrical overload… they even stuck a nail in a cell to see what happened next. Imagine the most feared torturer from Hollywood movies or your favorite series, are you already watching it? Ok, according to Renault, he was the one who tested the Renault ZOE battery.
Environmental awareness goes far beyond the mere daily use of the Renault ZOE as an electric and non-polluting car. The batteries weigh 250 kg, with only 10 kg of material not being recyclable and Renault already has a structure worldwide prepared to receive the used batteries.
Autonomy convinces, technology helps
The announced and homologated range is 210 km. But the experience behind the wheel of the ZOE leads us to conclude that it is only in very, very good situations that this value is possible to be reached. A maximum of 160 km of estimated autonomy, without restrictions on use or even without measuring the weight of the right foot. A value that is still very good, as I never worried about autonomy. Renault admits that this figure of 210 km is practically unattainable. At one of the press conferences, a Renault engineer said that the expected evolution in terms of batteries is between 2% and 3% per year, with increases in autonomy only visible in the long term.
The Renault ZOE is also equipped with several features that allow it to better manage battery consumption. The Range OptimiZEr system uses three means of battery saving – special low-friction Michelin Energy E-V tires built for the Renault ZOE, regenerative braking and deceleration system and a heat pump. In addition to allowing considerable savings on the batteries, in the case of the heat pump, the cabin is heated up much more quickly than in traditional systems.
Loading has never been easier
One of the systems that makes its debut on the Renault ZOE is the chameleon charger, patented by Renault for this model. This charger is a “chameleon” because it allows charging the Renault ZOE at different power levels, in a single-phase or three-phase system. The objective is to allow charging of the batteries at low and intermediate power levels. This charger, exclusive to the Renault ZOE, allows for savings on batteries and an increase in their longevity, while reducing the electricity bill to be paid.
Charging times range from 30 minutes to 9 hours depending on the power of the charging socket. When charging from a 43 kW station – the most powerful at the moment – the Renault ZOE takes half an hour to charge 80% of its batteries, the maximum allowed for charging in this type of more powerful stations.
The Renault ZOE is equipped with a charging cable, with a power capacity from 3 to 22 kW. The socket is located on the front, on the brand symbol, which hides the charging socket. The quick charging stations have their own cable, prepared to support such 43 kW. Once correctly fitted, the cable is secured and can only be released by pressing the hands-free card or a button located on the left side of the Renault ZOE steering wheel.
How much does it cost to own a Renault ZOE?
The question arises in addition to the cost per shipment, because we all know how to be low. Renault guarantees that the price per full charge does not exceed 2 euros. Less than 2 euros for 160 kilometers is attractive. However, as I mentioned, the costs go beyond the mere loading. Batteries are rented for €79 per month. The contract, for 3 years and 12,500 km per year, has all the amenities of a rental contract, namely the “lifetime” guarantee of the batteries during the same. However, not everything is easy.
The Renault ZOE is a car for those who have a parking space or live in a house with their own garage. But in addition to this requirement, the owner of a Renault ZOE must also purchase and install a Wall-Box at the domestic charging point. The electricity grid is not yet ready to supply the Renault ZOE directly and the chameleon charger needs the colors of this Wall-Box to adapt... Renault is prepared to handle, together with a specialized salesperson, the entire process of purchasing and installing this Wall-Box for the Renault ZOE. The value of the Wall-Box depends on the supplier, but they can count on around one thousand euros for the equipment. The price to pay for the Renault ZOE starts at €21,750 (turnkey price) and will go on sale in April, in Portugal.
Summary
The Renault ZOE is the first electric city on the market and having no competitors, a comparison with “nothing” is hardly credible. From the little I knew about the Renault ZOE and in addition to the much I've already written and described here, I can tell you that there are three negative aspects to highlight – the quality of some plastics, the fact that the rear seat doesn't have asymmetric folding and the bag with the charging cable that Renault decided, probably even conditioned once again by financial constraints, to put in the suitcase for all to see. Basically, they all stem from the final price that was needed to make this Renault ZOE viable.
Not wanting to be a seer or a soothsayer, I believe the Renault ZOE will be well received in the national market. Its price is a little higher than diesel in the segment, but the fact that it is electric and very innovative will greatly help its sales, especially with fuel prices rising to values that most portfolios have difficulty keeping up with. It may not get a colossal sales number, much less these days, but it will sell more than existing electric cars.
Reason Automobile will also have the opportunity to test the Renault ZOE for some time and further test its capabilities. The Renault ZOE promises to change families and start a new era in the car parc. Will it succeed? It is unknown and only time will be able to tell. But if this is the “second car” of the future, then the traditional weekend sports car may well become a third car for those who are able to spend these amounts on cars.
This was enough first contact to realize that there is still a lot to be done to make the electric car a reality accessible to everyone, but the truth is that with the Renault ZOE we are getting closer and closer to that moment.
Text: Diogo Teixeira