Renault ZOE now available

The Renault ZOE – Europe’s top-selling electric car -- is finally available to the Australian public, priced from $47,490 plus on-road costs.

The entry-level ZOE Life and higher-spec ZOE Intens (priced at $49,490 plus ORCs) are on sale to retail customers via just four Australian dealerships, in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

That means private customers will pay significantly more than business and government buyers, who have had access to both ZOE models for a direct fleet price of $42,470 and $45,870 plus ORCs since March.

In that time Renault has sold 18 ZOE vehicles to water and power utility fleets in Victoria and NSW — plus four examples of the Kangoo ZE electric delivery van, which so far remains unavailable to the public.

The ZOE is available now at Sydney City Renault in Sydney, Barry Bourke Renault in Melbourne, Unley Renault in Adelaide and Melville Renault in Perth.

In future, Renault says its EV sales network will further expand with a second dealer in both Melbourne and Sydney, and new EV specialist retailers in Brisbane, Canberra and Hobart.

Renault Australia managing director Andrew Moore said each outlet has undergone specialist sales and service training ‘to ensure they are ready to engage with customers and answer frequently-asked questions about electric cars”.

“At Renault Australia we’re excited to be taking this next step in the introduction of electric vehicles in Australia,” he said.

“We have taken a measured approach to our roll-out of electric vehicles locally, in line with customer demand in Australia. Our initial roll-out was to focus our discussions directly with forward-thinking fleets who want to incorporate an electric vehicle into their existing fleet of vehicles.

“As at the end of June 2018, our sales to fleet customers this year have surpassed our initial sales projections. Since commencing sales to fleets in late 2017, we’ve seen demand from a passionate group of customers who would like the opportunity to purchase a Renault electric vehicle and we’re thrilled to now be able to offer this.

“Along with demand from customers, we’ve experienced positive interest from within our dealer network of existing Renault dealers who wish to expand their product offering and become Renault electric vehicle specialists.

“They’ve recognised the opportunity that electric vehicles can bring to their local area and they’ve made the investment in their dealership to become ZE ready.

“We look forward to being at the forefront of the inevitable move towards electric vehicles in Australia utilising clean, renewable energy sources to power our transportation,” said Moore.

As part of its Drive the Future 2022 plan announced in October 2017, Groupe Renault has committed to offering eight pure electric and 12 electrified models in its range.

The Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance is the world leader in electric vehicles and Groupe Renault has been the leader in Europe for the past four years.

In 2017, Renault posted 38 per cent growth in electric vehicle sales in Europe, with a 44 per cent increase in ZOE registrations and a 23.8 per cent market share.

Globally, one in every five EVs sold is a Renault with 170,000 customers owning a Renault ZE.

The EV story is much different in Australia, where Mitsubishi’s pioneering i-MiEV and Nissan’s original LEAF – the world’s top-selling EV -- both discontinued prematurely following slow sales.

Launched in Japan last October, the second-generation LEAF was confirmed for Australia in February but an exact release date remains TBC. Its forebear was priced at $39,990 before it was axed here.

Hyundai’s three-model IONIQ line-up, which includes a pure-electric EV variant that has a 280km range and is expected to cost $43,000, had been due to launch in Australia by mid-2018, but that’s now been pushed back to September due to supply delays.

Released in Europe in late 2016, the Renault ZOE comes with a 41kWh lithium-ion battery pack good for a real-world range of around 300km (400km NEDC).

Recharging takes around seven hours with a 7kW fast-charger, which can add around 35km of range in an hour.

Trialled successfully with Australia Post last year, the Kangoo ZE is available to fleets from $45,990 and has a realistic range of around 200km (270km NEDC) and a 650kg payload.

The two pure-electric models miss out on Renault’s five-year, unlimited-km warranty. Instead, both models come with a three-year vehicle warranty and a five-year lithium-ion battery warranty.

While the tiny Renault Twizy EV won’t be imported here because it doesn’t meet design rules, we understand Renault Australia could add a third battery-powered model to its EV fleet, in the form of an all-new mid-size electric SUV that’s yet to be revealed.

Apart from Renault, Nissan and Hyundai, which also plans to release an all-electric version of its Kona small SUV by the end of this year, other mainstream brands to commit to releasing affordable EVs Down Under soon include Kia and Volkswagen – both by 2020.

How much is the Renault ZOE?
ZOE Life — $47,490
ZOE Intens — $49,490
* Prices exclude on-road costs