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By Tim Pollard
First Drives
07 June 2010 16:26
Renault - and partner firm Nissan - are leading the charge into electric cars and we've just tested the first conventional EV from La Regie: the new 2012 Fluence ZE. Left hand drive models land from June 2011 and right hookers for the UK arrive on these shores in 2012.
It's not fixed yet, but we're looking at around £22-25k for the car plus an as yet unspecified battery lease. Perhaps £50 per month.
Pricey then, but not scarily so compared with premium hybrids. And these battery cars attract a £5000 UK Government grant, bringing down the Fluence's cost down from around £30k.
The Fluence looks remarkably Laguna-alike in the metal. That is to say sadly nothing like the original concept car - this plain car won't scare off Jo Bloggs. Early adopters are most likely to be fleet customers although some sandal-toting private motorists are also expected.
Climb onboard and it's remarkably simple. Only different dials give the game away and it's perfectly roomy front and rear. Small boot, though, at barely one and a half handspans from front to back; our prototype had a smaller boot than final production versions, which will stretch by 13cm for greater trunk space. Blame the 22kWh battery which gobbles up the area normally set aside for your luggage (it's the size of a giant old-school tube TV).
Select 'D' and we're off, at a whispery roll. The 70kW electric motor feels brisk and Renault says the Fluence is faster than a petrol or diesel Fluence. There's an alluring jet-like whirr when you step on the, er, gas as we were want to do on our brief test drive, if only to access that slug of torque.
Of course real owners will do nothing of the sort; such excess will massively dent the claimed 100-mile range. We drove 12 miles from a full recharge and the trip computer was claiming a meagre 47-mile reserve. Tread lightly on the quiet pedal - that's the message in this new EV age.
It's a wonderfully relaxing experience, and there's the full-fat saintly feeling in traffic when the silence reinforces your eco cred count - yet the absent petrol engine you expect never kicks in. We only drove around town, but an 84mph top speed is claimed, though 93mph top whack would be possible with the electro-nannies disabled.
We sadly weren't allowed to fill it up, but we've handled the plugs and it looks simple enough. Regular home charging (eight hours to full) and quick-charge (30 minutes) will be available. The much-hyped quick-drop battery swap will eventually be offered too, but it appears to be very much at the experimental stage. Shame, as a new, fully charged battery in just three minutes sounds most useful.
Everything about the Fluence driving experience is heartland family car sterile. Don't go expecting Renaultsport responses (why would you?) and instead enjoy the relaxed demeanour. The steering is wallowy and soft, the ride disappointingly bumpy (especially in the rear).
But the thing is, the Fluence hides its bulky batteries out back. If anything, they help make the Fluence handle fairly benignly. No exact weight distribution is available but it must be fairly neutral. Most impressive is the braking, which displays none of the grabbiness of some EVs with regenerative systems.
The Renault Fluence is a polished piece of kit. It'll excite absolutely nobody after thrills or opportunity to flaunt their battery status. But for someone wanting the tax and social advantages of going electric early, it'll be an attractive option for city dwellers.
Is it really clean? Depends where you live. Renault says the Fluence ZE can be zero emissions if you have wind power, but the typical European reality is a plumper 62g/km of CO2. Live in a nuclear state such as France and that plummets to 12g/km. Live in coal-powered smog and you'll emit a disappointing carbon average of 128g/km.
That's how complicated this electric car argument has become. We suspect for many, the kudos of a battery car on the driveway will be quite enough.
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wittgenfrog says
RE: Renault Fluence ZE electric car (2012) prototype review
Indeed this car highlights the "problem" quite well. I rather get the impression that a good few of its failings are due to the innate conservatism of the design. The good ol' 2CV and the '500 were more radical approaches to designing cars to provide transport in a resource constrained post-war world. They looked pretty weird and used unusual (for the time) strategies to provide economy and capability, but the Public loved them. Designers of electric vehicles please note! The vanguard of the "low-carbon" cars need to be similarly unusual in their approaches. Slapping a ruddy great battery in a normal car is rubbish! Having said that, we (as a society, and individuals) need to support the move away from hydrocarbons. The initial trys at this are likely to be a bit crap, but the quality of both the vehicles and the powertrains will rise rapidly as they are taken up. Recent events off the Louisiana Coast emphasise that we cannot afford to keep using oil extracted from difficult and dangerous places. The environmental risks alone make finding alternatives an imperative.
Indeed this car highlights the "problem" quite well. I rather get the impression that a good few of its failings are due to the innate conservatism of the design.
The good ol' 2CV and the '500 were more radical approaches to designing cars to provide transport in a resource constrained post-war world. They looked pretty weird and used unusual (for the time) strategies to provide economy and capability, but the Public loved them. Designers of electric vehicles please note!
The vanguard of the "low-carbon" cars need to be similarly unusual in their approaches. Slapping a ruddy great battery in a normal car is rubbish!
Having said that, we (as a society, and individuals) need to support the move away from hydrocarbons. The initial trys at this are likely to be a bit crap, but the quality of both the vehicles and the powertrains will rise rapidly as they are taken up.
Recent events off the Louisiana Coast emphasise that we cannot afford to keep using oil extracted from difficult and dangerous places. The environmental risks alone make finding alternatives an imperative.
09 June 2010 15:50
motormojo says
Can't help thinking we have not got our heads around the whole 'alternative fuel sources for transport' conundrum yet. It's pretty obvious that we are going to have various fuel sources over the coming decades ; be these Hybrids, fuel cells, electric or IC. We will clearly need a mixture of all of them. What doe not seem to make sense to me is to build EV's (or any form of road transport for that matter) in exactly the same way as standard cars. You don't need to be Einstein to work out that weight and mass are critical factors in determining the viablility (in terms of performance and range) of EV's. So why can't the legislation with regard to construction, passenger safety etc be changed ? I am of course not advocating that all EV's should be allowed to have the structural integrity of a Sainsbury's shopping trolley, but that legislation allows for the different circumstances of current and future transport requirements. If we had a little more 'joined up thinking' by the legislators then we might eventually have more varied and different forms of transport, accepting different requirements, in different markets according to different needs. Sorry Renault - but as things stand, the Fluence is not the answer to anything.
Can't help thinking we have not got our heads around the whole 'alternative fuel sources for transport' conundrum yet. It's pretty obvious that we are going to have various fuel sources over the coming decades ; be these Hybrids, fuel cells, electric or IC. We will clearly need a mixture of all of them.
What doe not seem to make sense to me is to build EV's (or any form of road transport for that matter) in exactly the same way as standard cars. You don't need to be Einstein to work out that weight and mass are critical factors in determining the viablility (in terms of performance and range) of EV's. So why can't the legislation with regard to construction, passenger safety etc be changed ? I am of course not advocating that all EV's should be allowed to have the structural integrity of a Sainsbury's shopping trolley, but that legislation allows for the different circumstances of current and future transport requirements.
If we had a little more 'joined up thinking' by the legislators then we might eventually have more varied and different forms of transport, accepting different requirements, in different markets according to different needs.
Sorry Renault - but as things stand, the Fluence is not the answer to anything.
08 June 2010 16:18
trocadero says
It would be better if it were not so blatant and obviously a Megane 4 door saloon with a few styling tweaks. And of course. One of those can be obtained for about half the price this likely to cost.
08 June 2010 14:50
JohnnyD says
It's a start and there are flaws but over time it will either be the answer or die. Renault have to be applauded for their bravery. If only the same could be said of the design?! Why can't the revolution be on the outside as well as the inside?? Obvious cliche but Renault really should look at Apple. 50% new tech, 50% design and people love both.
It's a start and there are flaws but over time it will either be the answer or die. Renault have to be applauded for their bravery. If only the same could be said of the design?! Why can't the revolution be on the outside as well as the inside??
Obvious cliche but Renault really should look at Apple. 50% new tech, 50% design and people love both.
08 June 2010 13:25
mgjk0000 says
So if Renault have ditched the combustion engine, just what is under the bonnet? I got the impression that electric motors are/can be quite small. So is that space just wasted because they couldn't be bothered to custom design something that would be best suited to the technology? I can't help but think that the A class idea of using a sandwich floor would allow the battery to be spread out under the floor of the car, thus keep all the weigh within the wheelbase and at a low level. Of course the side effect being that it would still have boot space. Shame on Renault, a group that have traditionally being very strong on design, then give us this tarted up tat.
So if Renault have ditched the combustion engine, just what is under the bonnet? I got the impression that electric motors are/can be quite small. So is that space just wasted because they couldn't be bothered to custom design something that would be best suited to the technology?
I can't help but think that the A class idea of using a sandwich floor would allow the battery to be spread out under the floor of the car, thus keep all the weigh within the wheelbase and at a low level. Of course the side effect being that it would still have boot space.
Shame on Renault, a group that have traditionally being very strong on design, then give us this tarted up tat.
08 June 2010 12:30
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