We have heard of the electric car for months, years, decades even. Several attempts were made but always led to dead-ends. The time has finally come : too many major car makers and small newcomers are heading their way towards alternative energies to finally end up like a bonfire. Among them, Renault and Japanese ally Nissan, freshly rewarded by the European Car of the year trophy for its all-electric Leaf sedan, appear as the most ambitious.
Considering Renault only, four only-electric cars will be launched in 2011 and 2012. We will skip the familiar Kangoo ZE and Fluence ZE (ZE standing for 'Zero Emission') based on existing models and mainly appetizers for corporate and service fleets, and focus on the entirely new designs of the Twizy and Zoe. Can the styling and technology of these cars really embody all of the richness and optimism of Raoul Dufy's fairy of electricity?
Renault answers this question with two different yet sensible answers. With its pearly white paint, the Zoe looks like a neat small hatch, while its general proportions remind of the current Toyota Yaris or Mazda 2. Freshly landed when the project was still under development, Laurens van den Acker, Renault's new head chief of design and former Mazda, certainly had some influence on that styling turn. The design, nicely balanced, shows soft but noticeable edges and leaves the year 2000 aggressiveness to the benefit of light dynamism and simplicity. As Matthieu Tenenbaum - Renault's electric vehicle project deputy director - stresses, there is no long-hood suggesting a big traditional engine here: the short nose, combined with the disappearing of the classic front air openings, naturally suggests electric power. The Zoe also successfully manages to stay away from the tear-drop design seen on Toyota and Honda hybrids, self-promoted as only eco-friendly shape possible so far.
Last year, Renault introduced the first Zoe concept. After some tests among customers, the first draft, a pebble-like small coupe, was considered too futuristic. Funny, isn't it? People always complain over concept-cars never making it to the streets! No room for styling extravagance on this rising market, while the Avantime's failure, Renault's last concept-car to hit the road, seems to have advised the car maker to stay moderate. Here, Renault argues it tries to bring to the public a new way of thinking the personal car in an attractive package, immediately acknowledgeable as electric, but reassuring and still familiar to its users.
Going electric, a straight path to classicism and consensus then? Let's now take a look at Renault's second answer, the Twizy. Four wheels, but shorter than a Smart and wider than a Piaggio MP3. With this one, Renault tries to create a brand new offer in urban mobility. The Twizy slots between king-size scooters and midgets, grapping high mobility from a motorbike and safety from a small car.
Indeed, the two-in-a-row-seater benefits from a safety cell with seat belts (four points for the driver, three points for the passenger), a driver's airbag and original gull wing side doors generally seen on supercars or... concept cars. They have two goals, aside from being all-the-rage of course: they provide optimised access in narrow spaces but also protection against water projections or "bag-lifters". Originally designed higher, like an egg, the silhouette of the Twizy eventually lowered in order to suggest better visual stability to users.
Following Mini and Citroën's DS lineup, Renault will provide the Twizy with countless personalisation packages, and even seasonal offers, always with a high spirit of customer interaction. For instance, the model shown today at the LeWeb salon is painted in matt black with a very Tron-genre 'printed circuit' pattern, which won the internet contest held during the Paris motorshow last October.
For those who think driving the Twizy might be a romance killer, Tenenbaum concludes by reminding us of the absense of helmet and noise (thank you electric power) allowing to chit-chat - and more - at red lights. With a 100 km autonomy and a refill in 3"30 hours, the Twizy makes complete sense as an original and adequate solution to city lifestyle.
GT.
