Renault EVs to Come with Free Recovery

Renault is poised to launch a number of new electric vehicles on the European market in the next few years. With sales expected to reach 150,000 units per year for the Zoe supermini alone, some cars will surely suffer losses of power. But the French automaker has thought ahead and will offer free recovery for all its electric vehicles, according to Autocar.

The deal with the end customers will assume that the journey undertaken was within the realistic driving range of models like the Fluence, Zoe or Twizy ZE, but the driver ran out of juice due to traffic jams, diversions or inclement weather that forces the use of air-con, lights and wipers.

If this occurs, Renault will offer you a replacement car, but is still pondering on how many times each customer will benefit from the service in any given year.

The carmaker has recently revealed it will have a total of five EVs in its model lineup by the second half of 2014. The core model of the ZE range will be the Zoe supermini, which is similarly sized to the Clio.

Before the Zoe hits the European market next year, the three-wheeled two-seater Twizy will be aunched in France in December and in January 2012 in Italy. Prices will start at €6,990 including tax, but you’ll have to pay €45 a month for battery leasing. The zero emissions vehicle will come with 15kW electric motor which develops 70Nm of torque, making it versatile and easy to drive. Renault boasts that, thanks to its low weight, it will have a relatively decent range of 100 km (62 miles) on a full charge.