In August 2016, just as the Renault-Nissan Alliance surpassed 100,000 annual sales of its EVs, Renault sold its 100,000th EV to a customer in Norway. The car, fittingly enough, was a Renault ZOE, the best-selling EV in Europe.
The French automaker remains the continent’s biggest and fastest-growing zero-emissions brand, accounting for one in four EVs on Europe’s roads and posting a 32 percent rise in sales in the first semester of the year.
“The most exciting thing here is disruption, changing the way we have been manufacturing cars for the last 100 years.” Eric Feunteun, Electric Vehicle Business Unit Director, Renault
“We believed in EV technology from the beginning,” says Eric Feunteun, Renault’s electric vehicle business unit director. “Carlos Ghosn (the Alliance’s chairman and CEO) was the first in the industry to move in that direction in 2007, when we announced a full range of EVs. We approach electro-mobility not just as one item in our catalogue, but taking into account the whole ecosystem.”
Renault markets the four-door ZOE alongside the Twizy, a futuristic runabout sold in twin-seat passenger and cargo configurations, and the Kangoo Z.E., a small van with lots of space and flexibility for professionals. Each appeals to a different demographic, Feunteun notes: “Buyers of ZOE come from high-end segments, Kangoo is clearly for fleets, and Twizy is good for car-sharing. They are practical, affordable, and a pleasure to drive.”
Where Renault’s EVs really excel is in urban environments. The Kangoo Z.E. offers logistics providers, such as the French Post Office, restriction-free access to congested city centers. With 8,000 vans, it has the biggest EV fleet in the world, Feunteun reveals. The ultra-compact Twizy takes up less space parked and in traffic. The ZOE, meanwhile, is bought by affluent, multi-car households who want an EV to go in and out of town
“People who go electric are trend-setters,” Feunteun argues. “Consciousness about going green is growing among the public, but pressure from cities and governments to solve the issue is also getting bigger. In addition to doing something good for the planet, you also make your life easier.”
All the company’s electric-powered models share a host of common characteristics, based on constant improvements in technology to extend range and enhance refinement. These lead to very high satisfaction rates. “When you ask our customers for their reaction after driving an EV, 90% say that it is powerful and fun,” Feunteun enthuses
