Category: Renault Group (Page 1 of 2)

Groupe Renault is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans under various brand names » Renault, Alpine, Dacia (Romania), Somaca (Monaco), and others around the world. (Source » Wikipedia)

10 cheapest EVs in the UK

2021-12-19 / Robert Vinet

Fiat 500 Electric

Smart EQ fortwo » £17,850 (CDN$30,500 / USD$23,600)
Smart EQ forfour » £18,285 (CDN$31,200 / USD$24,200)
Fiat 500 » £20,495 (CDN$35,000 / USD$27,150)
VW e-up! » £20,695 (CDN$35,300 / USD$27,400)
Mini Electric » £26,000 (CDN$44,400 / USD$34,400)
Mazda MX-30 » £26,045 (CDN$24,500 / USD$34,500)
MG5 EV » £26,495 (CDN$45,200 / USD$35,100)
Peugeot e-208 » £27,225 (CDN$46,500 / USD$36,050)
Renault Zoe » £27,595 (CDN$47,100 / USD$36,550)
Vauxhall Corsa-e » £27,805 (CDN$47,500 / USD$36,800)

More » Zap Map

Renault Zoe, one of Europe’s most popular electric cars, has been given a zero-star Euro NCAP safety rating

2021-12-08 / Robert Vinet

Renault Zoe Euro NCAP Crash Test

Autocar »

The [Renault] Zoe previously held a five-star Euro NCAP rating but was entered into the tests following a substantial facelift last year which ushered in a bigger battery and extra power but also, the safety organisation notes, a new seat-mounted side airbag that protects just the occupant’s thorax, rather than the head and thorax as it did previously.

This change represents “a degradation in occupant protection”, according to Euro NCAP, which reported that in the side-pole-impact test, the “driver’s head directly impacted the intruding pole and head injury values indicated poor protection of this part of the body”.

…

Matthew Avery, Euro NCAP board member and chief research and strategy officer at Thatcham, told Autocar: “Every few years, Euro NCAP raises the bar by introducing new tests which either exploit new technologies or lift the hurdle to make manufacturers do better. If everyone is five-star, we need to lift the barrier.”

Elsewhere » Auto Week NL / Cars UK / Motoring Research / Reuters

Autocar picks it’s top 10 small EVs for 2021

2021-12-03 / Robert Vinet

Mini Electric

Autocar »

Admittedly, a small platform means less space for batteries and so the range of the following cars will never match the potential of larger alternatives. But a small battery also means a lower asking price, and if we’re talking about urban runabouts that do only the occasional longer journey, it’s arguable just how many owners would need more than, say, 180 miles of driving range.

Only two of these small EVs are available to the North America market, the Mini Electric and the Mazda MX-30.

Video » CarGurus reviews the 2022 Renault Megane E-Tech Electric

2021-11-10 / Robert Vinet

2022 Renault Megane E-Tech Electric

Vicky Parrott reviews the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric is a brand new EV that is set to go on sale in 2022.

While the Megane name might be familiar in Europe, the E-Tech sits on a new EV platform co-developed by Renault and Nissan. It is designed to offer the comfort of a family car with the driving dynamics of a GTI.

In the UK, the Megane E-Tech is going to be available with two batteries » a 40kWh unit to give an official range of up to 186 miles, or a 60kWh with up to 292 miles of range.

Charging tops out at 130kW, which gives an 80% charge in approximately 30 minutes. Charging the car at home with a 7kW home wallbox will take about 10 hours.

Video below ⤵️

Six automakers sign the Glasgow Declaration on Zero Emission Cars and Vans and commit to end fossil-fuel vehicles by 2040

2021-11-10 / Robert Vinet

The Glasgow Declaration on Zero Emission Cars and Vans, announced at the COP26 climate summit, includes a commitment to “work towards all sales of new cars and vans being zero emission globally by 2040, and by no later than 2035 in leading markets”.

Ford, General Motors, Geely-owned Volvo, Daimler-owned Mercedes-Benz, BYD, and Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover all signed the commitment.

Major automakers notably absent include Toyota (unsurprisingly*), Volkswagen, BMW, Renault, Hyundai, Honda, Nissan, and Stellantis.

Toyota Motors is the third most obstructive company in the world, actively lobbying against national climate policies. They are third behind gas and oil giants ExxonMobile and Chevron.

Chinese-owned Sweden-based Volvo has already committed to going fully electric by 2030.

Countries that did sign the declaration include » Austria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.

Major auto producing countries notably absent include » China, Germany, Japan, and the United States.

Canadian provinces of British Columbia, and Quebec also committed.

Renault to keep EV production and retail costs down using proven lithium ion battery technology

2021-11-09 / Robert Vinet

Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo » “I think lithium ion tech will continue for a long time”

Autocar »

Renault will seek to keep electric car development and retail costs down by continuing to use lithium ion batteries, while other marques rush to develop more efficient solid-state technology.

Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo told Autocar that “lithium ion batteries are here to stay. It’s not a disruptive technology, it’s a progressive technology, and there is so much production cost invested in it already.”

Speaking at the first media drive of the all-electric Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric, de Meo wasn’t dismissive of future battery technology such as solid state, saying: “Of course, if you can use solid state in a Formula 1 car or a rocket, then great, but from a business point of view, I think lithium ion tech will continue for a long time.”

Renault Zoe EV » Is this 9 year old design still worth considering?

2021-11-04 / Robert Vinet

EVs have come a long way since the Renault Zoe EV was first introduced in 2012. So how does a 9 year old design hold up against the newer VW ID.3, Honda E, Fiat 500E, and Mini Electric?