Photo: Dacia
It’s not a Tesla challenger on paper. It’s not meant to go against the Renault Zoe either. The Dacia Spring Electric is meant to democratize EVs in Europe more than any other e-vehicle before it, but curiously enough, pricing hasn’t been revealed yet.
You’ll have to wait until “spring 2021” for the order books to open, and if you were wondering, the United Kingdom won’t get the Spring Electric. That’s because the all-new model is based on a Chinese electric vehicle called the Renault K-ZE, which is manufactured exclusively in left-hand drive. Two trim levels for personal use, a car-sharing version, and a delivery van will be available at launch according to Dacia.
3,734 millimeters long and featuring a wheelbase of 2,423 millimeters (147 and 95.4 inches), the Spring Electric offers 45 PS (44 horsepower), a top speed of 125 kph (78 mph), and 140 miles (225 kilometers) on a full charge of the 26.8-kWh battery. Dacia insists that we’re dealing with an urban dweller, and given these specifications, it’s pretty obvious that the newcomer isn’t meant for the long haul.
You can improve the WLTP driving range by approximately 10 percent by pressing the ECO button on the instrument panel, but there’s a drawback to that. More to the point, the electric motor’s output is limited to 23 kW (31 metric and mechanical horsepower) instead of 33 kW and the top speed is reduced to 100 kph (62 mph).
The Romanian automaker says that “the Spring Electric is cost- and energy-efficient with a total cost of ownership lower than that of a comparable internal-combustion vehicle.” More impressively, the Renault-owned brand says that it will offer “the lowest TCO on the market for electric and internal-combustion vehicles combined.”
Staying true to the company’s low-cost ethos, the interior won’t impress you with gadgets, ambient lighting, and all that jazz. The entry-level specification doesn’t even feature an infotainment system as you can clearly tell from the main photo of this story. But if you pay extra, the MediaNav adds a 7.0-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.
The DC fast-charging cable also happens to be an option, which is understandable at the Spring’s ridiculously low price point. At a 30-kW terminal, charging to 80 percent takes less than one hour. The cable supplied as standard needs 14 hours from a home socket to charge to 100 percent.
As mentioned beforehand, we don’t know how much it’ll cost. What we do know, however, is that “the Spring Electric will be the most affordable electric vehicle in Europe” thanks to governmental incentives for switching to electric.
3,734 millimeters long and featuring a wheelbase of 2,423 millimeters (147 and 95.4 inches), the Spring Electric offers 45 PS (44 horsepower), a top speed of 125 kph (78 mph), and 140 miles (225 kilometers) on a full charge of the 26.8-kWh battery. Dacia insists that we’re dealing with an urban dweller, and given these specifications, it’s pretty obvious that the newcomer isn’t meant for the long haul.
You can improve the WLTP driving range by approximately 10 percent by pressing the ECO button on the instrument panel, but there’s a drawback to that. More to the point, the electric motor’s output is limited to 23 kW (31 metric and mechanical horsepower) instead of 33 kW and the top speed is reduced to 100 kph (62 mph).
The Romanian automaker says that “the Spring Electric is cost- and energy-efficient with a total cost of ownership lower than that of a comparable internal-combustion vehicle.” More impressively, the Renault-owned brand says that it will offer “the lowest TCO on the market for electric and internal-combustion vehicles combined.”
Staying true to the company’s low-cost ethos, the interior won’t impress you with gadgets, ambient lighting, and all that jazz. The entry-level specification doesn’t even feature an infotainment system as you can clearly tell from the main photo of this story. But if you pay extra, the MediaNav adds a 7.0-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto.
The DC fast-charging cable also happens to be an option, which is understandable at the Spring’s ridiculously low price point. At a 30-kW terminal, charging to 80 percent takes less than one hour. The cable supplied as standard needs 14 hours from a home socket to charge to 100 percent.
As mentioned beforehand, we don’t know how much it’ll cost. What we do know, however, is that “the Spring Electric will be the most affordable electric vehicle in Europe” thanks to governmental incentives for switching to electric.
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