Production Fluence and Kangoo EVs revealed

16th April 2010

Meet Renault’s electric dream. These are the first official pictures of the production Fluence and Kangoo electric cars which are due to hit European roads in 2011.

The French firm predicts that 10 per cent of all cars will be powered by electricity by 2020 and, along with alliance partner Nissan, is planning to be one step ahead of the competition with its family saloon and commercial van offerings.

First to arrive will be the Fluence ZE – an electric version of the conventionally-powered Focus-sized Fluence saloon. Drive comes from a 70kW electric motor which powers the front wheels and the range is 100miles. The batteries are lithium ion units, weigh 250kg and are located behind the rear seats.

Batteries can be recharged from a household supply in 6-8 hours, at a fast charge station in 30 minutes, or via a Quikcdrop facility which allows the car’s flat battery to be taken out and swapped for a full one in just three minutes.

Production begins at the Bursa plant in Turkey early in 2011, with Israel and Denmark being the first to get it. UK sales will start later in the year.

To mark it out from its petrol-powered sibling, Renault has added blue-tinted head and taillights, gloss black mirror housings, and the battery charge flaps on both wings.

Inside, the rev-counter has been replaced by a display for range and battery charge, while the dash gets ZE-specific trim.

The Kangoo goes into production at Renault’s Maubeuge plant in northern France in the second half of 2011. It uses a smaller 44kW motor but retains the same 100mile range as the Fluence. The lithium ion battery is mounted under the load bay floor so carrying capacity remains the same as the conventionally-powered version.

The battery is charged from a mains supply in 6-8 hours, which Renault considers perfect for a commercial vehicle – a fleet of Kangoo ZEs will be used by the French postal service to prove the concept.

Renault has also announced that it will build the car previewed by the Zoe Z.E. Concept in Flins, near Paris, while the car derived from the Twizy concept car will be produced at the Valladolid factory in Spain.

A website for UK buyers interested in being first in the queue to buy one of Renault’s electric cars has been set up. The car’s debut coincides with the government’s planned introduction of a 25 per cent discount off the purchase price of an electric car, which comes into force in 2011.

Prices are yet to be decided, but the firm has stated that the cost of its electric cars will be comparable with those of a diesel-powered car of an equivalent size and equipment level.