GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Renault ZOE gets sporty

Apart from revealing a facelifted version of its Captur compact SUV, Renault staged the world debut of a high-performance version of its all-electric ZEO city-car at the Geneva motor show overnight.

Dubbed the ZOE e-sport, the high-output concept incorporates two electric motors – one for each axle -- delivering a total 340kW of power and 640Nm of torque, making it more powerful than the single-seat FE racers, which are limited to 200kW.

Renault says that's enough to propel the pint-size two-seater, which employs a carbon-fibre body and Kevlar-protected steel roll cage to reduce the kerb weight to 1400kg (including 450kg for the 40kWh battery), to 100kmh in a supercar-like 3.2 seconds, and on to 130mph (210km/h) in less than 10 seconds.

Apart from borrowing from the French car-maker's FIA Formula E Championship technology, Renault fitted the ZOE with all-wheel drive, a lower ride height, wider wheel tracks, double-wishbone suspension, 20-inch wheels, bigger brakes and Öhlins four-way adjustable dampers.

Inside, the high-performance commuter concept features Recaro bucket seats with racing harnesses and Formula E-style controls, while four driving modes are claimed to allow drivers to maximise either performance or driving range.

“The brief for the Renault ZOE e-sport concept couldn’t have been simpler: ‘Have fun!'," said Renault's concept car design chief Stéphane Janin.

"So we came up with something midway between a production model and a racing car… It’s perfect for lovers of extreme driving sensations."

Introducing its first all-electric vehicle in late 2012, Renault claims to be Europe's first and leading EV-maker, with more than 100,000 of its EVs now on the road – including the Twizy micro, Kangoo ZE van and the ZOE, which was Europe's top-selling EV for the second year in a row last year. The large Master ZE van will join its European EV range in late 2017.