Updated Renault Zoe 250 mile range
 

Renault have just announced one of thier best selling EV'S in Europe has been updated taking the official range to 250 miles. I expect in real world conditions you'd get 180-200, this now comes close to some of its more expensive rivals like the new Tesla model 3. EV's are now becoming a realistic proposition for motorists, even those who live rural like me. I'll no doubt be considering an EV in the next 5-10 years.

Is the 250 miles on the NEDC?

Yes, hence the predicted 180 mile real world range. Still respectable for an EV, the battery capacity is 41 KWH, almost double the old battery.

Oooh! If only it was bigger - and without a battery rental charge that completely negates the fuel cost saving...! Perhaps the Fluence will get this same upgrade...?

No they only made the Fluence for a few years, quite a rare car. The Leaf and Zoe share the same platform, so it's available as a Nissan too. The battery rental charge is optional, as it is on the Leaf, most people according to Nissan, actually prefer to lease it, I guess some people are still getting used to the idea of an EV and are not 100% sure about battery lifespans as yet, the leasing option just gives people a bit of extra peace of mind if they feel they need it.

A close friend of mine has the Leaf based Nissan ENV200 van for work and she adores the way it drives etc. It's the non-uprated battery pack, but she gets about 110 miles per charge, and has a home charger fitted for quicker charging. I'm hoping to have a spin in it soon ;)

In the ZOE'S favour, you can actually buy a brand new one with less than 100 miles on the clock for £7000, that's less than $10,000, making not only cheap for a well equipped EV, but cheap for any car! That's the pre-upgraded battery model. Perhaps the depreciation doesn't seem so bad with such a low initial purchase price, even with battery rental. There are very few for sale with "batteries included" and those with are more than double the price.

Just heard Renault are releasing an electric version of the popular Master at the end of this year. Only an official 168 miles range, but hey, it's probably the largest commercial ev in the world, so will no doubt prove popular with huge urban based courier companies, the fuel savings would be into the millions for companies with large fleets. This is Renaults third commercial EV now, they must have the biggest EV range of any manufacturer?

In line with the Zoe, the smaller Kangoo van has an increased range by 50% now also.

Since they're in the related, anyone know how much technical "cross pollination" happens between Nissan and Renault? Does the same tech in both lines around the same time?

No Nissan are slower to get the bigger battery for some reason, even though the cars share many parts. Now that Mitsubishi are part of Renault Nissan, there's going to be some interesting plug in/hybrids hitting the market soon.