In the giant auto show, the Mondial de l'Automobile, French Car Maker Renault says that it is engineering a pair of battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs), to be produced starting in 2011, that it claims will be cheaper to build, cost markedly less to power, and produce far less carbon dioxide.
At the Paris show, Renault unveiled a concept car showing the design of a compact EV commuter car: an EV version of its Kangoo utility van, with startling acid-green windows to minimize air conditioning and a lithium-ion battery that carries the van 160 to 200 kilometers on an average charge. That range "really covers the usage by our customers, who are using their cars only for commuting and maybe short trips during the weekend," says Renault EV project director Serge Yoccoz. He predicts that such EVs could capture from 10 to 15 percent of the European car market as early as 2015.
Daimler, meanwhile, said that a battery version of its popular Smart Fortwo, in testing in London since last year, will be sold starting at the end of 2009.Renault says that EVs are a necessity because hybrids cannot deliver the level of gasoline use and emissions reductions that governments and customers are demanding of automakers.
DaimlerChrysler's new SMART ev, an electrically powered version of the fortwo model, will be offered to UK corporate customers on a lease basis as part of a trial marketing program starting this November. The normal three-cylinder powertrain (gasoline or diesel) is replaced by a 30-kW motor and batteries supplied by UK firm Zytek Group , which also converts the cars to electric power. In-town performance (0-30 mph in 6.5 seconds) is said to be better than for the gasoline version, and a range of 72 miles is claimed. If successful, the next generation fortwo will offer an electric version for the public, though it is unclear whether that variant will be offered when SMART launches in the US.
At the Paris show, Renault unveiled a concept car showing the design of a compact EV commuter car: an EV version of its Kangoo utility van, with startling acid-green windows to minimize air conditioning and a lithium-ion battery that carries the van 160 to 200 kilometers on an average charge. That range "really covers the usage by our customers, who are using their cars only for commuting and maybe short trips during the weekend," says Renault EV project director Serge Yoccoz. He predicts that such EVs could capture from 10 to 15 percent of the European car market as early as 2015.
Daimler, meanwhile, said that a battery version of its popular Smart Fortwo, in testing in London since last year, will be sold starting at the end of 2009.Renault says that EVs are a necessity because hybrids cannot deliver the level of gasoline use and emissions reductions that governments and customers are demanding of automakers.
DaimlerChrysler's new SMART ev, an electrically powered version of the fortwo model, will be offered to UK corporate customers on a lease basis as part of a trial marketing program starting this November. The normal three-cylinder powertrain (gasoline or diesel) is replaced by a 30-kW motor and batteries supplied by UK firm Zytek Group , which also converts the cars to electric power. In-town performance (0-30 mph in 6.5 seconds) is said to be better than for the gasoline version, and a range of 72 miles is claimed. If successful, the next generation fortwo will offer an electric version for the public, though it is unclear whether that variant will be offered when SMART launches in the US.
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