Photo: Renault
Renault UK has announced that starting from January next year, the Zoe Z.E.40 will begin arriving at local dealerships. This version packs a 41 kWh battery, although the 22 kWh model will continue to be sold in one trim.
Renault wasn't the first to offer an electric car to mainstream European buyers. Nor did it have much luck with the Fluence and Kango Z.E., but the dedicated Zoe model based on the Clio hit a sweet spot in the market.
Now the Z.E.40 comes to offer the best range of any mainstream electric car at 250 miles. Sure, that's only according to the NEDC cycle, so your real-world range is actually going to be between 186 miles in fair conditions and 124 miles in freezing conditions. But that's way more than you need for most trips.
The competition isn't quite there yet, as the Nissan Leaf only packs a 30kWh battery, while the 2017 e-Golf's 35.8 kWh battery offers 196 miles according to the NEDC cycle. But the Vauxhall Ampera-e should murder the entire market with its massive 60 kWh underfloor pack.
It should be noted that the bigger battery takes longer to charge. It varies depending on what particular model you've bought, but the basic Zoe takes 4 hours to go from 0 to 100% while the Z.E.40 requires between 7h25 and 8h25. All that is with the 7kW fast-charging wall-box with free home installation that comes free with every retail purchase.
Also new is the Signature Nav trim level, which features leather upholstery, heated front seats, a seven-speaker BOSE audio system, rear parking camera, 16-inch ‘Grey Shadow’ alloy wheels and driver’s seat lumbar adjustment. You can have that for £19,895. But that quite a markup over the £13,995 base price.
Other noteworthy changes will also happen in 2017. The Zoe will be available in three new colors – Mars Red, Titanium Grey and Ytrium Grey, plus the Zircon Blue Metallic added in 2016. The Renault logo and badging switches from blue to chrome to accommodate this new color selection. The 16-inch alloy wheel design on Dynamique Nav and above has been updated.
Now the Z.E.40 comes to offer the best range of any mainstream electric car at 250 miles. Sure, that's only according to the NEDC cycle, so your real-world range is actually going to be between 186 miles in fair conditions and 124 miles in freezing conditions. But that's way more than you need for most trips.
The competition isn't quite there yet, as the Nissan Leaf only packs a 30kWh battery, while the 2017 e-Golf's 35.8 kWh battery offers 196 miles according to the NEDC cycle. But the Vauxhall Ampera-e should murder the entire market with its massive 60 kWh underfloor pack.
It should be noted that the bigger battery takes longer to charge. It varies depending on what particular model you've bought, but the basic Zoe takes 4 hours to go from 0 to 100% while the Z.E.40 requires between 7h25 and 8h25. All that is with the 7kW fast-charging wall-box with free home installation that comes free with every retail purchase.
Also new is the Signature Nav trim level, which features leather upholstery, heated front seats, a seven-speaker BOSE audio system, rear parking camera, 16-inch ‘Grey Shadow’ alloy wheels and driver’s seat lumbar adjustment. You can have that for £19,895. But that quite a markup over the £13,995 base price.
Other noteworthy changes will also happen in 2017. The Zoe will be available in three new colors – Mars Red, Titanium Grey and Ytrium Grey, plus the Zircon Blue Metallic added in 2016. The Renault logo and badging switches from blue to chrome to accommodate this new color selection. The 16-inch alloy wheel design on Dynamique Nav and above has been updated.
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