Greater range and power, updated design, high-tech equipment. The Renault Zoe returns revised and refined to face an increasingly competitive market
For years it was the best-selling electric car in Europe, alongside the Nissan Leaf. Until last February, when the more compact and newer of Tesla's models, the Model 3, overtook it for the first time, stepping up onto the top step of the podium. So Renault is moving quickly to respond, announcing the arrival of the third generation of the Zoe by the end of the year, a car that nonetheless remains one of the most popular electric vehicles in Europe. What's changing? Design, versatility, quality and technology. In short, the French electric car is getting ready to face the imminent wave of compact electric cars, led above all by the Opel Corsa-E and the Peugeot e-208, both arriving between the end of this year and early 2020.
Range remains one of the most important reasons for buying an electric car, alongside price. The Renault Zoe therefore raises the bar with a more powerful motor (100 kW), a 52 kWh battery and a range of up to 390 kilometres. "The new Zoe has a unique advantage: it is the third generation of a vehicle that is already considered a benchmark. We have drawn on our experience in the electric mobility market to make the car more modern in all its performance and technology," explained Eric Feunteun, Renault's electric vehicle programme director. With the new battery, range increases by 20 per cent, while rapid charging now allows the use of charging points of up to 50 kW in direct current. Charging times range from 9 hours using a 7 kW domestic wall box, to 150 kilometres of range in 30 minutes at a 50 kW rapid charger.
Read also: Electric cars and human rights, the Amnesty International challenge: "Clean batteries within 5 years"
A redesigned front end, new bumpers, new body colours, full LED headlights for greater visibility. The third generation of the Renault Zoe evolves without any radical overhaul. The dimensions remain the same. But new interiors arrive, at last more rewarding and with improved quality. Making its debut is a large 10-inch display in place of the somewhat minimal instruments of the previous model, to show virtually all of the car's functions, from speed to driver assistance systems and the eco-meter that helps optimise range while driving. The plastics of the past give way to soft-touch surfaces. There is now also the convenient wireless charging for smartphones.
Read also: Discovering Portugal in an electric car: now you can, without range anxiety
On the new Renault Zoe, a new 9.3-inch touchscreen is now on hand to control the vehicle's main functions, allowing users to, among many other things, check the real-time availability of charging points, or connect their smartphone and manage apps via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The new Renault Zoe interior uses fabrics produced from seatbelt manufacturing offcuts and recycled plastic. A fine example of circular economy thinking, one of the topics transforming the automotive industry more than any other. Among the other new features are an electric parking brake replacing the old lever between the seats, and a new acoustic windscreen that should make the cabin even quieter by filtering out traffic noise.
Among the Adas features available on the new Renault Zoe for active safety, there is a device that detects speed limit signs and displays the speed limit, automatic high beams, a blind-spot sensor in the door mirrors, automatic emergency braking, and Easy Park Assist, which allows hands-free and feet-free parking.
Read also: Summer getaway: what is Adas and why it can save your life in the car
The new Renault Zoe is expected by the end of the year; it will continue to be offered with both the battery rental and battery purchase options, while the new price list has yet to be announced.