Team-BHP - Renault ZOE electric car spotted in Bangalore

During my way home on Old Airpot Road, Bangalore, I spotted "Renault ZOE".
I notice that this is a test car, but this car is not mentioned anywhere on Renault India websites. Nice to see, Electric Cars gearing up.

Due to bad traffic, I could take only one picture.

Strangely I did not find any thread on Renault ZOE this forum as well. May be Renault is still doing road tests with this vehicle.

Nope, it is not an official Renault test car. (yellow numberplate behind indicates cab service)

The Zoe seen here is a part of the car fleet of Lithium Urban Technologies, an EV cab service operating in Bangalore. It could be that the cab company is planning to add some units of the Renault Zoe to it's lineup. (Link)

Quote:

Originally Posted by RavenAvi (Post 3989003)

Nope, it is not an official Renault test car. (yellow numberplate behind indicates cab service)

That is definitely not an Indian Cab number plate.

It is a European number, could be French ( can't make ot as the pic is slightly blurred). Might be here on Carnet.

EDIT: It is from Great Britain( after seeing pics in the link provided). Makes sense since it would be right hand drive.

Yes, like ajmat and cooldude1988765 stated, the car does seem to have GB plates.

Is this a sign of things to come?! Lithium Urban Technologies does seem to be making the move to get an all electric, all class fleet of office cabs. C'mon, LUT, bring us a Tesla, will ya?

BTW, there is another thread with the news of the Verito electric being launched by Mahindra, interesting to say the least.

I don't think carnet cars can be used as cabs. They are probably saying it's brought in for promotional purposes. The rules clearly state:

Quote:

Presently the facility of ATA Carnet for temporary admission of goods will be restricted to goods imported for display or use at approved exhibitions/ fairs and similar events.

Source

But then, this is India where rules are meant to be broken :Frustrati. Here's a rental Limo running on North American plates:

Source Thread

November's Autocar has a small mention about Zoe. Renault has been testing this for past six months with the fleet operator to gather test data. I just hope the govt can give sops to electric cars. Its not like they are going to lose a lot of money and lots of people are going to buy them.

Perhaps this is offtopic, but the interesting part of EVs is that, from an environment and savings point of view, they make sense when they are offered as shared mobility solutions. That is, cab fleets are incentivized to go for EVs. Individual ownership of EVs won't make much of a dent.

Renault to launch Zoe EV in India. To be priced around ₹ 14-16 lakhs. Launch could be in 2021.

Quote:

Renault to showcase Zoe electric vehicle at the 2020 Auto Expo; EV to have India-specific bits. The car is currently being tested and modified to make it suitable for our conditions (especially for our climate), with Renault testing the range locally as well.

One of the modifications being carried out, for example, is to the underside of the battery, where additional protection from physical damage could be provided. Considering the combination of our unregulated speed-breaker sizes and our penchant for overloading vehicles, this extra protection is thought to be essential.

The first cars to go on sale are likely to be partly assembled in India at the Alliance plant in Chennai, and are expected to be driven by a 90hp electric motor and a 41kWh battery. A sprightly performance is anticipated (despite the kerb weight of around 1.5 tonnes) and the Zoe could have a real-world range of around 300-350km.

Link

That's a shocker to the Tata party, price wise and range wise it's a true competitor to the Nexon EV.

Zoe has been in production since 2012, its technology improved over time where as Nexon's Ziptron is new and yet to prove. Moreover, it has got bigger battery too, if Renault manages to launch it in the above said price Nexon EV might have tough times ahead. But, one relief to Nexon is Zoe's launch after an year in 2021.

Bring it on Renault, heat up the EV segment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by volkman10 (Post 4726338)

Renault to launch Zoe EV in India. To be priced around ₹ 14-16 lakhs. The launch could be in 2021.

There are variants with different battery sizes for the latest Renault Zoe. Low-end one has a smaller 44.1 kWh (41 kWh usable) while the high-end variant has a 55 kWh (52 kWh usable) battery. If the article is correct, then they are following the same strategy as Hyundai by bringing the low-end one here to keep the prices in check.

Prices mentioned in the article seem to be guesswork and too good to be true. But its all depends on the EV competition in 2021 and prevailing battery prices which are declining continuously.