Electric cars

Electric car in Olympic bid

Renault is going for gold ready for 2012.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Richard Yarrow

23rd April 2008

An electric commuter car is on the way from Renault, and the company is working flat-out to have it ready for the London 2012 Olympics.

The eco-vehicle will rely on battery power and be charged up overnight. And it will be a bespoke machine, designed and engineered from the ground up to run solely on electricity. The last such car Renault built was the 1992 Zoom concept (above).

Patrick Pelata, Renault’s director of product planning, said: “If we are ready, the new all-electric car could be launched in time for the London Olympics. We are maximising things to aim for then, and the car would be sold from that point onwards. Because of the high tax rates in the UK, this would be a valuable market for us.” Pelata hinted the car – likely to be similar in size to the Twingo – could come with two different sizes of battery. Owners could use a smaller, lighter unit for weekday journeys, then easily swap to long-range cells for weekends.

“We are considering renting out the battery with a monthly payment scheme. There would be a higher payment to charge it the middle of the day, a lower one at night,” he added.

Renault’s strategy on all-electric transport currently involves two other vehicles. A version of the next Mégane, set to debut at October’s Paris Motor Show, is being developed for the Israeli market. Due to be launched in 2011, it will be powered by solar panels fitted to the roof of the owner’s house. And the firm is also working on an electric Kangoo for use by commercial fleets in mainland Europe