Lease the Renault Zoe electric vehicle for only £189! (in the UK)

by Zachary Shahan

EV Sales. Lease the Renault Zoe electric vehicle for only £189! (in the UK, that is)
EV Sales. Lease the Renault Zoe electric vehicle for only £189! Sorry mates – this offer is only available in the UK, but it may represent a rough approximation of rates in your country and currency.

The Renault Zoe, a top-selling electric car available across Europe, has just had its base lease price cut to £189 in the UK (with a £1,000 deposit). Additionally, “lower mileage users” can now lease the battery for as low as £45 per month—this is with a 3-year contract and no more than 3,000 miles per year.

The Zoe was launched last June in the UK. Renault notes that the Zoe is now competitive with comparable fossil fuel drinkers. “For example, not only does it cost only 2 pence per mile to run, from £13,995 on-the-road it also undercuts the comparable diesel version of the country’s best-selling Ford Fiesta, in 5-door Style TDCi 75 guise, in terms of upfront cost, by £300, even with a superior level of standard equipment.”

Frankly, I think the Zoe looks very sharp, even better in real life than in pictures. It’s no BMW i8, but it’s a good car available at a very competitive price. If I were in the UK and looking for a car, it would certainly be a contender.

EV Sales. The Renault Zoe comes complete with its own charger unit and can be leased for £189 per month (plus the battery rental of £45 per month) for a grand total of £234 in the UK.
EV Sales. The Renault Zoe comes complete with its own charger unit and can be leased for £189 per month (plus the battery rental of £45 per month) for a grand total of £234 in the UK.

The low lease price is part of a new package that is available until the end of March. Here are more details on the new package as well as other benefits that Renault offers its Zoe customers:

The new package sees the stylish ZOE Dynamique available, until 31st March 2014, on Renault Selections PCP from £189 per month, with a deposit of just £1,720, including a £1,000 customer deposit contribution. That’s on top of its comprehensive Renault 4+ package, worth over £1,000, which includes 4 years/100,000 miles warranty, roadside assistance and routine servicing (4 years/48,000 miles).

Plus, from this month, the creative automaker is also enticing car buyers with Selections 500. The new customer loyalty incentive, which includes ZOE, guarantees £500 as a part-exchange bonus towards a new Renault model at the end of a customer’s finance contract.

Unlike some rivals who require users to shell out hundreds of pounds on a charging solution, Renault also includes a 7kW single Wallbox, which charges ZOE in three to four hours, for free at domestic properties in the UK*. Add all of these savings up and a typical ZOE buyer could be over £2,500 better off, even before taking into account the associated Benefit-in-Kind, road tax and congestion charge benefits of running an electric vehicle.

A representative finance offer for Renault ZOE Dynamique Intens or Dynamique Zen is:

48 monthly payments of £189 including VAT (excludes £45 battery hire, based on 36 months/3,000 miles per year)
Customer deposit £1,720
On-the-road price £15,195
Deposit contribution £1,000
Total amount to be financed £13,475
Acceptance fee £99
Optional final payment £6,005
Credit facility fee £139
Option to purchase fee £10
Total amount payable by customer £17,045
Rate of interest (fixed) per annum 7.02%
Representative 7.7%
Total rental £234 (including £45 per month battery hire)

Making the switch to electric motoring does not have to be tricky. In fact, one of the greatest benefits of choosing a ZOE is peace-of-mind.

The battery hire contract includes a battery performance guarantee, whereby if, for any reason, its operation falls below 75% of its original capacity, it will simply be repaired or replaced, regardless of the vehicle’s age or mileage.

In the unlikely event that a customer runs out of charge, cover is also included to take them to a chargepoint.

Renault has a national network of EV-ready dealerships, every one of which has charging solutions, and the national network of charging points is growing by the day.

For full details, see Renault Chargemap

Building on the current success of the ZOE Scalextric™ viral video which has already attracted over 400,000 views, plus its small screen appearances as part of Renault’s exciting design-led ‘Animal Attraction’ sponsorship of the Jonathan Ross Show, the company’s flagship electric vehicle will also be taking to the virtual world shortly, through tie-ups with MSN, mumsnet and T3 to name but a few.

Back in the real world, using Renault’s “Life Designed” theme, ZOE will also be looking to draw in the crowds with its svelte lines as it appears in the metal at Westfield shopping centres across the UK.

This article, Renault Zoe UK Lease Price Drops To £189, is syndicated from EV Obsession and is posted here with permission.

Image: Renault Zoe at EVS27 in Barcelona, Spain. (CC BY-SA license, with the key requirement being that credit be given to Zachary Shahan / EV Obsession / CleanTechnica, and that those links not be removed.)

About the Author

EV Sales. Zachary ShahanZachary Shahan is the director of CleanTechnica, the most popular cleantech-focused website in the world, and Planetsave, a world-leading green and science news site. He has been covering green news of various sorts since 2008, and he has been especially focused on solar energy, electric vehicles, and wind energy for the past four years or so. Aside from his work on CleanTechnica and Planetsave, he’s the Network Manager for their parent organization – Important Media – and he’s the Owner/Founder of Solar Love, EV Obsession, and Bikocity. To connect with Zach on some of your favorite social networks, go to ZacharyShahan.com and click on the relevant buttons.

Renault Unveils Driverless Electric Vehicle Prototype

by Zachary Shahan

Renault's autonomous EV concept car is called the Next Two.
Renault’s autonomous EV concept car is called the Next Two. Image #1.

Renault has just unveiled an autonomous electric vehicle prototype aimed for commercialization by 2020. The prototype autonomous EV is called the Next Two.

“Using sensor technologies, Next Two enables the delegation of driving functions from the driver to the car in congested traffic up to [30] km/h (18.6 mph) on main roads. It also offers an Automated Valet Parking function which permits the vehicle to park itself completely autonomously in car parks equipped to cater for automated vehicles. This includes both finding a parking place and the necessary maneuvering,” Mike Millikin writes.

Renault's autonomous EV prototype is called the Next Two. Image #2.
Renault’s autonomous EV prototype is called the Next Two. Image #2.
Renault's driverless EV prototype, the Next Two, driving autonomously. Image #3.
Renault’s driverless EV prototype, the Next Two, driving autonomously. Image #3.

Regarding the automated parking, Renault writes: “An Automated Valet Parking function which permits the vehicle to park itself completely autonomously in car parks equipped to cater for automated vehicles. This includes both finding a parking place and the necessary manoeuvring.”

Thanks to the Next Two autonomous prototype, Renault’s aim is to take up position right now in this field of advanced technology which we believe will reach the marketplace by around 2020.

With Next Two, we wanted to combine the worlds of delegated driving and connectivity. Not only will autonomous driving enhance safety but it will also free up time for drivers.

Being connected will enable them to make the most of this extra time by providing them with access to new in-car services such as video-conferences, on-line shopping, travel information and more. — Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn

"Look Ma, No Hands!" Renault's Next Two, driving autonomously. Image #4.
“Look Ma, No Hands!” Renault’s Next Two, driving autonomously. Image #4.
The interior of the Renault 'Next Two.' Image #5.
The interior of the Renault ‘Next Two’ still has a steering wheel we note.Image #5.

Check out Renault’s full report on the Next Two [PDF] for more details on this pioneering autonomous electric vehicle, including some example scenarios and how this vehicle fits into French and international transportation policy.

This article, Renault Unveils Autonomous Electric Vehicle Prototype, is syndicated from EV Obsession and is posted here with permission.

About the Author

EV Sales. Zachary ShahanZachary Shahan is the director of CleanTechnica, the most popular cleantech-focused website in the world, and Planetsave, a world-leading green and science news site. He has been covering green news of various sorts since 2008, and he has been especially focused on solar energy, electric vehicles, and wind energy for the past four years or so. Aside from his work on CleanTechnica and Planetsave, he’s the Network Manager for their parent organization – Important Media – and he’s the Owner/Founder of Solar Love, EV Obsession, and Bikocity. To connect with Zach on some of your favorite social networks, go to ZacharyShahan.com and click on the relevant buttons.

Renault Plug-in Hybrid Concept Car Gets 141 MPG

Originally published on EV Obsession by Zachary Shahan

I guess this is primarily a story for our European readers, but with the numbers Renault is throwing around, it’ll likely interest everyone.

Renault Clio. Image courtesy of Renault.
Renault Clio. Image courtesy of Renault.

The French automaker is reportedly going to unveil a 141 MPG concept car at the Geneva Motor Show that isn’t a 100% electric car. It’s a plug-in hybrid that is reportedly similar in size to a Clio.

Renault head of research, advanced studies and materials Remi Bastien is the one who gave out the 141 MPG figure, so it’s worth paying attention to. Bastien added that, “an eventual production version of the car would be affordable. It will be a B-segment car with Clio-type features in terms of space and comfort.”

With the Renault Zoe and the Renault Fluence ZE, Renault is a clear leader in the EV realm so far. And that’s all according to plan. “The main thrust of our research and development budget is spent on improving emissions – with our electric vehicle strategy with the Zoe EV, we’re perfectly placed to develop hybrid systems.”

Carbon Fiber, Shmiber

Bastien also commented a bit on BMW’s use of carbon fiber in the BMW i3, and the related matter of reducing vehicle weight for greater efficiency.

“I think the main reason BMW uses lightweight carbon fibre on the BMW i3, for example, is because of performance, because of what the brand stands for – not necessarily for efficiency,” Bastien said.

“Reducing weight is important for petrol and diesel cars, but less so for EVs – aerodynamics is more important for efficiency in electric vehicles. Weight can be used to help regenerative braking in an EV to harvest more kinetic energy when slowing down.”

250-Mile EVs Around The Corner?

Bastien also commented on the great potential EV battery research still offers. “Bastien believes the industry is only at 50% in terms of exploration of battery technology,” according to Sean Carson of AutoExpress. Bastien projects that, “by 2020 the range of an EV like the Zoe will double to around 250 miles.”

The automotive world will look completely different by then if that’s the case.

This article, Renault Plug-in Hybrid That Gets 141 MPG Could Be Unveiled In Geneva, is syndicated from Clean Technica and is posted here with permission.

About the Author

Zachary ShahanZachary Shahan is the director of CleanTechnica, the most popular cleantech-focused website in the world, and Planetsave, a world-leading green and science news site. He has been covering green news of various sorts since 2008, and he has been especially focused on solar energy, electric vehicles, and wind energy for the past four years or so. Aside from his work on CleanTechnica and Planetsave, he’s the Network Manager for their parent organization – Important Media – and he’s the Owner/Founder of Solar Love, EV Obsession, and Bikocity. To connect with Zach on some of your favorite social networks, go to ZacharyShahan.com and click on the relevant buttons.