Evangelically Electric

The fully-electric Renault ZOE has finally hit UK roads. So what's it like?

Think of electric cars and you may immediately recall the mid-sized Nissan Leaf or Vauxhall Ampera. And while the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive serves the small car of the market, it’s strictly a two‑seater. The supermini market is one of the largest car segments in the UK, and yet there has been no electric vehicle choice until now. Step forward the ZOE, Renault’s latest all‑electric vehicle. Designed from the ground-up as an EV, Renault says that it competes with its competitors (including its in-house Clio rival) on an equal footing.

How equal? With the range starting at £13,995 – including the government-funded £5000 Plug-in Car Grant incentive – Renault compares the ZOE to diesel small cars, with a similarly-specced Ford Fiesta Style TDCi costing £14,095. And whereas the Fiesta costs £65 to fuel with each tank of diesel (and drivers may need more than one, depending on distance), the ZOE’s battery leasing cost is £70 per month. The ZOE’s ‘real-world’ range of between 62-93 miles makes it more than adequate to cover over 83% of typical small car journeys, too, says the French company. An affordable price and good range is all very well, but if the driving experience doesn’t shine, it’s all for nothing. So how does the ZOE shape up?

FUTURISTIC YET CONVENTIONAL
Before you even step inside, the ZOE strikes the right balance between looking electric‑vehicle futuristic yet conventional. The Nissan Leaf tries a little too hard with its styling, but here, Renault has given the ZOE a family look – the newcomer has hints of Clio about it, and it works well, with blue‑coloured details pointing to the unconventional power source. Renault says that the biggest buying factor in this market is style, and here the ZOE scores. Moving inside, the cabin is simple, cleanly-styled and feels like it’s high quality. It’s bright, too, depending on which model you choose.

My £15,195 Arctic White ‘Dynamique Zen’ test car featured a white interior, which, while not hugely practical if you have young ones, makes the ZOE feel a little bit special. All the car’s functions are controlled using the central touchscreen and accessed via Renault’s new ‘R-Link’ system. One thing which I found useful is the ‘eco2’ display which not only shows average speed and energy saved, but also scores your driving out of 100. It additionally shows your anticipation levels of traffic obstacles on a gauge, so you can attune your driving style to be more economical.

IMPRESSIVE TECHNOLOGY
Driving the ZOE is simple. Press the ‘engine’ start/stop button, select ‘Drive’ on the automatic single-ratio gearbox and you’re off. And it feels like a conventional supermini, minus one thing – the noise. Renault have given the ZOE a sound (the ‘ZE Voice’ in Renault-speak), which is audible from outside the car up to 18mph. Yes, there’s the expected electric ‘whine’ from the 67kW/88bhp electric motor, but the general driving experience is calming and relaxing. With 220Nm (162lb ft) of torque available from 250-2,100rpm, the ZOE’s nippy, too. With nicely weighted steering, and enjoyable yet quite conventional handling, the ZOE goes about its business in a fun yet accomplished way.

The ride quality’s a little choppy granted, but overall, it’s impressive. The technology is impressive, too – with over 60 patents filed during the ZOE’s development, Renault claims five world premieres within the car. These include a heat pump, which captures energy from the air to warm, or cool, the cabin, rather than drawing on the battery (a feature which is standard on all ZOEs, but only specified on higher-spec new Nissan Leafs). Cabin pre-conditioning is standard, too, which allows programming of the heating or air conditioning while the ZOE is still charging, therefore not depleting the battery’s charge. And bi-modal braking ensures the battery receives energy not only each time the car decelerates when the driver takes his/her foot off the accelerator but also when the driver presses the brake pedal. All clever stuff.

The ZOE comes with a ‘Chameleon’ lead as standard. Adjusting to where the car is charged, the Chameleon can feed the ZOE power at different levels depending on its source, and a charge can take anything from 3-4 hours (at home with the standard supplied wall box) to 30 minutes (at 80 per cent charged) for quick top-ups at a fast charger where available. The ZOE’s battery is leased from £70 per month depending on mileage, and Renault offers a lifetime guarantee. Battery performance is guaranteed to at least 75 per cent of it’s original charge capacity – after that Renault will repair or replace it. The company also offers complete 24/7 roadside assistance, and you only pay for what you need, with personalised battery contracts tailored to the individual driver’s requirements.

KNOWINGNESS WITH A TECHNOLOGICAL TWIST
ZOE is the Greek for ‘life’ – could this new small electric car be about to breathe life into the UK’s EV market? It deserves to – ZOE is a well-thought out, stylish, practical and easy to use electric vehicle. And be in no way misled – although ‘conventional’ could be seen as a defamation, in this instance it’s not. The general public may not to have seem to taken to electric vehicles as many have expected, and some are no doubt put off by the technology. As the ZOE takes familiar driving elements and conventionality from other small cars, it brings a knowingness with a technological twist to the supermini market. it genuinely feels like the first electric car that could catch on.