From the first announcement at the Davos Forum in 2008 to the debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012. Taking in all the milestones that made the Renault Zoe the most beloved electric city car in Europe.
In 2019 it was the second best-selling electric car in Italy, with 2,180 units. Things are going equally well in Europe, even if the threat posed by new models is making itself felt. In the meantime, however, the Renault Zoe continues to win fans, also thanks to its history and its undisputed role as a pioneer in electric mobility. So let's look at some of the key milestones. Starting with its first appearance, a world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012. Shortly afterwards, the first Zoe went on sale in France. It was the end of 2012, and electric vehicles in Italy were virtually non-existent. But Renault, which had already brought other 100 per cent electric models to market (Twizy, Kangoo Z.E. and Fluence Z.E.), was thinking about how to develop and consolidate a dedicated sales network in every European country, Italy included.
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A compact saloon designed from the outset to be exclusively electric, the Renault Zoe was an immediate hit; fluid, clean and dynamic lines. The front end ushers in the French brand's new visual identity. And the many blue details underscore its electric nature. The story of the Zoe actually begins at the end of 2008, in late January, at the close of the Davos Economic Forum, when then-CEO Carlos Ghosn announces his intention to bring a range of four electric vehicles to market, with a central model, the X10 project, a compact saloon designed to be exclusively electric and aimed at a broad audience. The "pre-project" teams receive a brief calling for a design that is "complicit and reassuring for a 100 per cent electric, innovative and responsible vehicle".
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Gradually, the work gravitated towards a more rational approach: Zoe was not supposed to unsettle customers with its design. The goal was therefore to create a different car, but one with lines and proportions consistent with the formal codes of the automobile. The winner of the competition is the design by Jean Sémériva: "We wanted to design a car made of movements and for movement… like a water droplet with no angles or boundaries." In 2009, Laurens Van Den Acker revisits the front end, adding slender bi-halogen headlights, an enlarged logo and a large air intake. On 28 July 2009, the team presents its work to the board, which is won over. Customer testing begins in March 2010. The prototype will remain very close to the final production model that goes on sale at the end of 2012.
Renault describes the initial reactions as "enthusiastic". What people love about the Zoe is the zen, relaxing interior atmosphere, with a dashboard that evokes a wind turbine blade. In fact, Zoe first appears as a show car, "Zoe Preview", at the Paris International Motor Show in 2010. But the preview of the final production design arrives at the Geneva Motor Show in 2012. In Italy it is launched as the 100 per cent electric car accessible to everyone, with a price of €21,650 and battery rental from €79 per month. With more than 60 patents filed during development, Renault announces the Zoe as "the first mass-produced electric vehicle type-approved for 210 kilometres of range".
The Renault Zoe is the first vehicle to fit, as standard, special tyres with high energy efficiency, developed with Michelin. Designed to reduce rolling resistance — which is highly energy-intensive — while adapting to the strong acceleration phases characteristic of an electric vehicle. With the R-Link system, the Zoe is a connected car from the very start, capable of informing the driver in real time about traffic conditions, weather forecasts and much more.
The Zoe also stands out in another respect, one that is greatly appreciated by users who are most sensitive to environmental issues. "The air breathed by Zoe passengers is purer" — this is how Renault describes the presence of an activated-carbon particulate filter that purifies the cabin air, absorbing most unpleasant odours and pollutants. Made up of electrostatic and activated-carbon layers, the filter captures ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, toluene, benzene and particulate matter (dust, pollen), also filtering out pollen and soot. In addition, the air conditioning system automatically adjusts the humidity level inside the cabin, detects pollution spikes and activates automatic recirculation; it also features an ioniser that purifies the air by eliminating bacteria, fungi, allergens and microbes.
For Renault, battery recycling has been an integral part of the electric vehicle ecosystem since the launch of the Zoe, to the point that an organisation was put in place from the outset covering all the countries where the car is sold, tasked with disposing of end-of-life batteries in compliance with environmental regulations and current legislation. This gave rise to a partnership with Umicore, a leading company in lithium-ion battery recycling. Damaged or end-of-life batteries are collected and sent to diagnostic centres, which route them either towards a second life outside the automotive sector or towards complete recycling. Renault was among the first to highlight and place great value on this aspect, communicating that "for a 250-kilogram battery, only 10 kilograms are sent for end-of-cycle disposal, while the remaining 240 kilograms will be reused" thanks to a hydrometallurgical treatment to recover the metals.
Shortly after its debut, Zoe set a new world record for the longest distance ever covered in 24 hours by a production electric vehicle. With 363 laps completed on the Aubevoye high-speed ring, the total distance covered was 1,618 km. That figure may not say much today. But in 2012 — when the record was set on 1 June of that year — at the height of scepticism towards electric mobility, the record served to underline performance, reliability and endurance. Zoe demonstrated, thanks to rapid charging at 43 kW, that it could recover 80 per cent of its range in under 30 minutes: "This victory is the result of a major collective effort, which has helped showcase the quality of Renault's electric vehicles," an enthusiastic Bernard Dumondel, Renault's director of electric vehicle customer performance, would declare. In 2013, the Zoe's safety earned it five EuroNcap stars — the same as the popular Clio.
In 2014, a fleet of 43 Renault Zoes joined the offering of one of Italy's most significant operators in the driverless electric vehicle rental market. Equipped with a 65 kW electric motor that gives it lively acceleration and pick-up, the Zoe won over a business clientele in Italy for the first time, who appreciated its connectivity (email, tweets, weather, services, …). The operator, active in both long-term and short-term rental, rode the advantages of electric mobility beyond the elimination of air and noise pollution: access to restricted traffic zones, freedom of movement during traffic bans, and savings on running costs.
In the popular imagination, an electric car is slow, monotonous and dull. To dispel these myths, Renault entered four crews in the e-Rally Monte-Carlo and took the top positions in the electric vehicle category. By 2016, four years had passed since the French brand invested in electric, and at the Paris Motor Show it announced a doubled range for the Zoe: 400 kilometres NEDC (around 300 in real-world use). In October, the Zoe with the Z.E.40 battery also made its Italian debut, priced from €25,000 (battery on lease) and from €33,000 with the battery purchased outright. First deliveries began in January 2017 and the new Zoe became the benchmark in the electric vehicle market. The best-selling electric car in Europe and among the most accessible electric cars, the new model was available with an 88 or 92 hp motor. In 2017, Renault celebrated 1,000 registrations in Italy. In the meantime, Zoe won over private motorists, companies, public administrations and institutions.
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From Milan to Palermo, from Naples to Padua, from Lazio to Puglia, from Umbria to Tuscany: the Renault Zoe became the electric car most present in the first attempts at green car sharing. Alongside the Zoe, Renault also deployed the electric quadricycle Twizy, the Cargo version for small deliveries, and the Kangoo and Master Z.E. commercial vehicles. In the summer of 2017 the Zoe became a van — a configuration with 2 seats, a 1,000-litre load area and a payload of 440 kilograms — the right solution for sustainable logistics. In October 2018, in Bologna, the "Corrente" electric car-sharing service made its debut with 240 Zoes deployed in free-floating car sharing.
Stockholm, 16 February 2018: Renault opened the doors of its first electric vehicle concept store in Europe. It is called the Renault Electric Vehicle Experience Center and the idea was destined to be copied by other manufacturers. Opened in Täby, a very popular shopping centre on the outskirts of Stockholm, this space was created to tell the story of electric to the general public, to interact with people and help them understand the opportunities and advantages of an electric lifestyle. There is a display area for electric vehicles, information zones covering charging infrastructure and methods, local regulations and incentives, purchasing terms and services related to electric vehicles, plus a convivial interaction area. Renault consultants, present seven days a week, guide visitors through their discovery of electric mobility; Renault announced its intention to extend the format to other European cities.
"Seven years ago, when Zoe was born, we had a long road ahead, but we didn't mind… Now we can travel it without looking back, enjoy unspoilt landscapes… live and soar with our imagination." Renault placed greater emphasis on the travel experiences offered by the electric and with 395 kilometres of WLTP range the new Zoe entered a new era. A 100 kW motor arrived, along with new interiors… On 25 November, Renault celebrated the 200,000th electric vehicle produced since 2012 at its Flins-Sur-Seine plant: "This important milestone once again underlines the expertise acquired by the Flins plant, which has more than 8 years of experience in electric vehicle production," explained Jean-Luc Mabire, the plant's director, in a statement.
"The group's electric vehicle sales worldwide are up 23.5 per cent, with 62,447 units. The new Zoe, launched at the end of 2019, will be the flagship of the electric range in 2020. In the electric light commercial vehicle segment, Kangoo Z.E. remains the undisputed leader, with growth of 19.2 per cent, reaching 10,349 vehicles." Renault's electric dri