Electric vehicles have quickly caught on in the last several years to the point where the industry is now awash with a wide variety of electric models, conversions, and plans for future adoption of the green technology. While some electric vehicles remain a bit out of reach for the ordinary consumer, many companies are taking steps to make electric vehicles affordable and easy to find. Renault, which has quite a few plans for cheaper electric vehicles, has their own plans in mind for their latest model.
Dubbed the Twizy, the small urban electric vehicle is set to be among the cheapest Renault has ever produced. The two-seater vehicle has a price point of only $9,300, at current U.S. Dollar to Euro conversions, and will come in two models featuring different electric engines. The first model, which is considered a full automobile, will feature a fifteen kilowatt, twenty horsepower electric engine that is charged by a lithium ion battery installed underneath the seat. The second model, which Renault says may not require a driver’s license in some European countries, will have a smaller four kilowatt engine. The battery in both of the models will be capable of plug-in charging and is expected to be able to operate for roughly three and a half hours before requiring a recharge.
Although the Twizy will be available for purchase as an individual consumer, Renault and Hertz have announced that it will also be available as a rental throughout Europe after its release. Hertz also has plans to adopt several other Renault electric models as rentals in the coming years making electric vehicles more accessible for those that do not want to take the immediate plunge and purchase an electric vehicle.
With the new model clearly designed as an affordable, urban vehicle it joins the ranks of other miniature electric vehicles coming out from various Japanese companies. With luck, the Twizy will find the same success its counterparts across the globe have had in European cities upon release.
Article by Richard Cooke, appearing courtesy Justmeans.
