The Renault Zoe (stylized as ZOE and pronounced as "Zoey"), known as Renault Zoe E-Tech Electric since 2021, is a five-door supermini
electric car
An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quie ...
produced by the French manufacturer
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
. Renault originally unveiled, under the Zoe name, a number of different
concept car
A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...
s. Initially in 2005 as the Zoe City Car and later as the Zoe Z.E. electric concept was shown in two different versions in 2009 and 2010 under the
Renault Z.E.
The Renault Z.E. (Z.E. stands for Zero Emission) is a line of all-electric cars from Renault. The line began with the Z.E series of concept cars. The first production car is the Renault Fluence Z.E. that was slated for sales to the public in Israe ...
name. A production ready version of the Zoe was shown at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
Retail customer deliveries began in France in December 2012, followed in 2013 by several European countries. Since 2013, the Zoe has been the all-time top selling all-electric car in the French market, with more than 100,000 units registered through June 2020. The Zoe was the top selling all-electric car in Europe for two years running, 2015 and 2016, and also topped European sales in the broader
plug-in electric car
A plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) is any road vehicle that can utilize an external source of electricity (such as a wall socket that connects to the power grid) to store electrical power within its onboard rechargeable battery packs, which th ...
segment in 2016 and 2020. As of 2020, the Zoe ranks as Europe's all-time best selling plug-in electric car. , global sales totaled almost 285,000 units since inception.
The first production Zoe had a 22 kWh
lithium-ion
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also sees ...
battery pack
A battery pack is a set of any number of (preferably) identical batteries or individual battery cells. They may be configured in a series, parallel or a mixture of both to deliver the desired voltage, capacity, or power density. The term battery ...
that delivers a range between and under the NEDC cycle. In September 2016, Renault announced the introduction of new higher range model with a 41 kWh lithium-ion battery, increasing the range to under the NEDC cycle. In mid 2018 a new model with increased motor power of , was announced as the ZE 40 R110. In mid 2019, the ZE 50 R135 was announced, with a 55 kWh battery pack (52 usable) and motor, and CCS charging; the final production-ready model was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show and deliveries started in January 2020.
Concepts
Zoe City Car Concept (2005)
The Renault Zoe City Car concept (or Z17) was shown at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show featuring 3 seats, the 3.45 m long open top vehicle was proposed as an urban focused car. This Zoe had no connection with the later electric Zoe concept to follow four years later.
Zoe Concept (2009)
The Renault Zoe Concept was shown to the public in 2009 at the
Frankfurt Motor Show
The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility shows. It cons ...
to show the company's vision for a
Clio
In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; el, Κλειώ), also spelled Kleio, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre playing.
Etymology
Clio's name is etymologically derived from the Greek root κλÎω/ÎºÎ»ÎµÎ¯Ï ...
sized electric car. It was powered by a electric motor (mounted at the front) and
lithium-ion
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also sees ...
batteries (under the seats). It was estimated it would have a range of and a top speed of , and could be charged at a conventional 230 V socket, or fast-charged from a high-voltage supply to 80 percent in only 20 minutes. A third innovative option was to swap the batteries for a new pack at a Renault Quickdrop centre. The vehicle was designed by Raphaël Linari.
The design was tear-drop shaped featuring a
see-through roof
A sunroof is a movable panel that opens to uncover a window in an automobile roof, allowing light and fresh air to enter the passenger compartment. Sunroofs can be manually operated or motor driven, and are available in many shapes, sizes and styl ...
features
solar panel
A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a (usually rectangular) frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a photo ...
s which run the
air-conditioning
Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
system and gull-wing doors. A new climate control system was also shown, developed with
, which could spray essential oils into the interior to cut out harmful exterior smells, or rehydrate the interior to prevent skin drying out.
Zoe Preview (2010)
The Zoe Preview, a substantially revised version of the Zoe concept, was shown to the public at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, and was claimed to be a near-definitive representation (90% showroom ready) of the final version of the car. Many of the existing design features of the 2009 concept model were discarded such as the gull-wing doors.
The technical specifications had changed from the 2009 version with the power of the electric motor reduced to , a reduced top speed of , but still with a range. It was suggested that the Zoe ZE would be priced from €15,000.
Zoe E-Sport (2017)
The Zoe E-sport is a
hot hatch
A hot hatch (shortened from hot hatchback) is a high-performance hatchback car.
The term originated in the mid-1980s; however, factory high-performance versions of hatchbacks have been produced since the 1970s.
Front-mounted petrol engines, ...
all-wheel drive
An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand.
The most common forms of all-wheel drive are:
;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...
design with two electric motors, each one powering an axle. The combined power from both is and the torque . The lithium-ion battery package weighs and is on the rear. The car, weighing , has a
carbon fibre
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
chassis, racing brakes and equipment, and a
double wishbone suspension
A double wishbone suspension is an independent suspension design for automobiles using two (occasionally parallel) wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. Each wishbone or arm has two mounting points to the chassis and one joint at the knuckle ...
on both axles.
Production versions
ZE
The production version of the Zoe was announced in March 2012 at the
Geneva Motor Show
The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by th ...
. Similar to the Zoe Preview of 2010 and the design credited to Jean Semeriva, it is a five-door supermini at 4080 mm long, a little longer than the
Renault Clio
The Renault Clio () is a supermini car (B-segment), produced by French automobile manufacturer Renault. It was launched in 1990, and entered its fifth generation in 2019. The Clio has had substantial critical and commercial success, being consis ...
. Retail customer deliveries began in limited number in France in December 2012, and Renault planned to increase availability during the first quarter of 2013. The first Zoe was delivered to
Arnaud Montebourg
Arnaud Montebourg (; born 30 October 1962) is a French politician, lawyer and entrepreneur who served as the Minister of Industrial Renewal from 2012 to 2014,Flins on the same
assembly line
An assembly line is a manufacturing process (often called a ''progressive assembly'') in which parts (usually interchangeable parts) are added as the semi-finished assembly moves from workstation to workstation where the parts are added in seq ...
as the
Renault Clio
The Renault Clio () is a supermini car (B-segment), produced by French automobile manufacturer Renault. It was launched in 1990, and entered its fifth generation in 2019. The Clio has had substantial critical and commercial success, being consis ...
and
Nissan Micra
The Nissan Micra, also known as the , is a supermini car ( B-segment) that has been produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan since 1982.
The Nissan Micra replaced the Japanese-market Nissan Cherry. It was exclusive to Nissan J ...
. About 170 Zoes are made per day.
In France the Zoe pricing starts at () before applying the existing () tax incentive, plus a monthly fee for the battery. The cost of leasing the battery for 36 months starts from /month (/month) for an annual distance travelled of and includes comprehensive breakdown assistance.
The Zoes produced until June 2015 are powered by a 22 kWh
lithium-ion battery
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also se ...
pack weighing 275 kg, driving a synchronous
electric motor
An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...
supplied by
Continental
Continental may refer to:
Places
* Continent, the major landmasses of Earth
* Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US
* Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US
Arts and entertainment
* ''Continental'' ( ...
Chameleon
Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...
Paris Motor Show
The Paris Motor Show (french: Mondial de l'Automobile) is a biennial auto show in Paris. Held during October, it is one of the most important auto shows, often with many new production automobile and concept car debuts. The show presently take ...
, Renault unveiled a 41 kWh lithium-ion battery called the ZE 40, weighing . The battery was developed by Renault and LG Chem, and is assembled at Renault's Flins plant. It is mounted on Zoes using the R75/90 motor (formerly R240, the name now making reference to the motor power output range between and ) and increases the car range to under NEDC and allows quick charging. The Q210 would still be available, renamed as Q90. According to Renault, the battery delivers about on real driving conditions. Older Zoes using the battery would get a less significant range increase because of various design upgrades. Options to buy the battery would be available, along with revised lease plans.
In ZE 40 cars, available energy went up from about 22 kWh to 41 kWh, while the dimensions of the battery remained unchanged, with the weight increasing by only 15 kg (33 lbs) – from (5%). Physically, Renault still uses 192 3.5 volts lithium cells (LG Chem) in 12 modules (16 cells per module) configuration.
ZE 50
In June 2019 Renault announced a new Zoe with a 52 kWh battery, achieving range of under WLTP conditions. It comes with either an 80 kW R110 electric motor for the "Iconic" trim level, or a 100 kW R135 electric motor for the "S Edition" and "GT Line +" trim levels. It also comes with faster charging with the option of 50 kW DC capability via
CCS2
The IEC 62196-2 Type 2 connector (often referred to as Mennekes for the company that designed it) is used for charging electric vehicles, mainly within Europe, as it was declared standard by the EU. Based on widespread red IEC 60309 three phase pl ...
.
Electrics and Drivetrain variants
Battery
*First generation battery:
**Thermals: air cooled
**Total weight: 290 kg
**Total capacity: 25,92 kWh (192 x 36 Ah x 3,75 V = 25,92 kWh)
**Available capacity: 23.3 kWh
**Cells: 192 cells, each with 36 Ah nominal capacity and 3,75 V nominal voltage.
**Total cell weight: 165.12 kg (192 x 0.86 kg = 165.12 kg)
**Charging: type 2 (22 kW AC with 3-phase), and 43 kW 3-phase for all initial Zoe before the advent of R240 version
*Second generation battery:
**Thermals: air cooled
**Total weight: 305 kg
**Total capacity: 45.61 kWh (estimation by knowing the usable capacity)
**Available capacity: 41 kWh
**Cells: 192 cells, each with 63.35 Ah nominal capacity (estimation) and 3.75 V nominal voltage
**Total cell weight: 180.12 kg (estimation by knowing the total battery weight)
**Charging: type 2 (22 kW AC with 3-phase), and 43 kW 3-phase for Q90 variant
*Third generation battery:
**Thermals: air cooled
**Total weight:
**Total capacity: 55 kWh
**Available capacity: 52 kWh
**Cells:
**Total cell weight:
**Charging: type 2 (22 kW AC with 3-phase) and CCS (50 kW)
In France, pricing of the Zoe with the 41 kWh battery starts at (~ ) before any applicable government incentives ( or ), and without the purchase of the battery. The rental fee for the battery is (~ ) per month for up to per year and (~ ) per month for unlimited mileage. In Norway, pricing starts at 229,400 kroner (~ ), and the pricing of the variant with the original 22 kWh battery starts at 40,000 kroner (~ ) less than the 41 kWh variant. The small battery can be upgraded to the newer one, at a cost of around 3500 Euros for rented batteries.
In the UK, it has been possible to buy the Zoe with the battery, or lease the battery. Leasing the battery gives a free replacement if capacity falls under 80%.
Charger
The 2015 R240 version removed the 43 kW AC charging capability, in exchange for better efficiency of low power home charging. The 2017 facelift still allowed for a Q90 rapid charge option (full-speed 43 kW rapid charging). A full charge at 22 kW speed will take two hours and 40 minutes, with 80% of the range recovered in an hour and 40 minutes. The Q90, by comparison, takes 65 minutes to reach 80% capacity.
Motor
In February 2018, Renault introduced an updated version of the R90 motor, the R110, which upped power output to while maintaining the same estimated economy and similar torque (). The R90 would still be available for sale. The price for cars equipped with the new motor would be slightly higher than those using the R90 version. The R110 will be the first Renault motor certified under WLTP and sales would start by the end of the 2018 summer in Europe.
In 2019, Renault introduced the R135 motor (100 kW) in the ZE 50.
Safety
The Zoe received a five-star Euro NCAP 2013-rating. The score was:
In 2021, the updated Zoe in its standard European configuration received a zero-star safety rating, becoming the third car in
Euro NCAP
The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme (i.e. a New Car Assessment Program) based in Leuven (Belgium) formed in 1996, with the first results released in February ...
's history to record a zero-star rating. The score was:
all-electric car
An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quie ...
in Europe for the second year in a row in 2016 with 21,735 units delivered, representing 21.2% of the segment sales that year. Also, the Zoe topped European sales in the broader
plug-in electric car
A plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) is any road vehicle that can utilize an external source of electricity (such as a wall socket that connects to the power grid) to store electrical power within its onboard rechargeable battery packs, which th ...
segment, ahead of the
Mitsubishi Outlander P-HEV
The is a mid-size
crossover SUV manufactured by Japanese
automaker Mitsubishi Motors. It was originally known as the when it was introduced in Japan in 2001.
The original Airtrek name was chosen to "describe the vehicle's ability to transpo ...
Technology blog TechDirt suggested that the Zoe's battery pack could contain
Digital Rights Management
Digital rights management (DRM) is the management of legal access to digital content. Various tools or technological protection measures (TPM) such as access control technologies can restrict the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. ...
software, on the grounds that the original battery lease agreements for the Zoe gave Renault the right to prevent the car's battery from charging at end of lease. Following an
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is an international non-profit digital rights group based in San Francisco, California. The foundation was formed on 10 July 1990 by John Gilmore, John Perry Barlow and Mitch Kapor to promote Internet ci ...
article which cited TechDirt's supposition to argue that this could render the vehicle unusable if the owner ceases payment or Renault withdraws support, Renault publicly denied any use of DRM technology through its official Twitter account.
Name dispute
In May 2010, a Parisian woman named Zoe Renault commenced legal action to try and force Renault to rethink their choice of name amid claims it would lead to
mocking
Mockery or mocking is the act of insulting or making light of a person or other thing, sometimes merely by taunting, but often by making a caricature, purporting to engage in imitation in a way that highlights unflattering characteristics. Mocke ...
jibes. In November 2010, a French judge ruled that Renault could use the name.{{cite web, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11732595 , title=BBC News - Renault can name new car Zoe as girls' case rejected , publisher=BBC, date=21 May 2010 , access-date=11 November 2010
Upcoming discontinuation
In 2023, Renault will launch the 5 EV, which will replace the Zoe after being on the market for then 10 years in a single generation.
See also
{{Commons category, Renault Zoe
*
Battery balancing
Battery balancing and battery redistribution refer to techniques that improve the available capacity of a battery pack with multiple cells (usually in series) and increase each cell's longevity. A battery balancer or battery regulator is an ele ...
(LBC)
*
Government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles
Government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles have been established around the world to support policy-driven adoption of plug-in electric vehicles. These incentives mainly take the form of purchase rebates, tax exemptions and tax credits, ...
*
List of electric cars currently available
This is a list of battery electric vehicles that are mass-produced, formerly produced, and planned. It includes only vehicles exclusively using chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs, with no secondary source of propulsion (e.g ...
*
List of modern production plug-in electric vehicles
This is a list of battery electric vehicles that are mass-produced, formerly produced, and planned. It includes only vehicles exclusively using chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs, with no secondary source of propulsion (e.g ...
*
List of production battery electric vehicles
This is a list of battery electric vehicles that are mass-produced, formerly produced, and planned. It includes only vehicles exclusively using chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs, with no secondary source of propulsion ( ...
*
Plug-in electric vehicle
A plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) is any road vehicle that can utilize an external source of electricity (such as a wall socket that connects to the power grid) to store electrical power within its onboard rechargeable battery packs, which then ...
*
Renault Twizy
The Renault Twizy is a two-seat Electric vehicle, electric microcar designed and marketed by Renault. It is classified in Europe as either a Motorised quadricycle#Light quadricycles (L6e), light or Motorised quadricycle#Heavy quadricycles (L7e), h ...
*
Renault Z.E.
The Renault Z.E. (Z.E. stands for Zero Emission) is a line of all-electric cars from Renault. The line began with the Z.E series of concept cars. The first production car is the Renault Fluence Z.E. that was slated for sales to the public in Israe ...
*
Zero-emissions vehicle
A zero-emission vehicle, or ZEV, is a vehicle that does not emit exhaust gas or other pollutants from the onboard source of power. The California definition also adds that this includes under any and all possible operational modes and conditions ...
*
Nissan LEAF
The , stylized as LEAF, is a Compact car, compact five-door hatchback battery electric vehicle, battery electric vehicle (BEV) manufactured by Nissan. It was introduced in Japan and the United States in December 2010, and its second generation w ...