With its announcement of the launch of four electric cars between March 2011 and the second quarter of 2012, Renault is making a strategic choice to position itself in the market for carbon-free vehicles. The potential global market is estimated at 10% of global car sales by 2020, with one car in ten being powered by electricity. By opting for all-electric, Renault is choosing “a true clean break with CO2”, judging that eventually electric vehicles will be more profitable than hybrids thanks to simpler technology and a gradual fall in the price of batteries. “We are also lucky enough to have expertise in lithium battery technology, thanks to Nissan, and we can use our vehicle production expertise to manufacture the batteries,” says Thierry Koskas, the director of Renault's electric vehicle programme. Some batteries will be manufactured at Flins (in France, near Paris), along with the Zoe ZE (Zero Emission), the key product in its range, which will be sold at the same price as a Clio from 2012. The Kangoo ZE van will also be produced in France (Maubeuge), and the Twizy ZE in Valladolid in Spain, while the production site for the Fluence ZE saloon to be launched in 2011 has not yet been announced, but will not be in France. Renault estimates that two thirds will be sold to the general public and one third to fleets. Globally, the new electric vehicles will have a range of 160 km, will be rechargeable in 4 to 8 hours, and will be sold at the same price as petrol vehicles. To this must be added a monthly subscription covering the battery and the electricity supply. The goal of the group is to be competitive with a petrol vehicle on the basis of 1,000 km per month. Renault is currently negotiating about thirty agreements with governments and electricity companies covering recharging infrastructure and electricity charges and is about to sign a partnership agreement with EDF. In France, Renault is counting on the encouragement provided by the recent clean vehicle plan and the 900 M€ of grants for deploying charging stations, but also on private initiatives. The company stresses that the French charging network will be compatible with all brands of electric and hybrid cars (Environnement Magazine, France, www.environnement-online.com)

EEP Newsletter No. 172 | 02.12.2009