Renault Reveals All-Electric 2011 Kangoo Z.E. Van at Hannover Show, Sales Start Next Year

Renault has released pictures and details of the 2011 Kangoo Express Z.E. pure-electric van it showed at this week's International Commercial Vehicles Show in Hanover, Germany. It is the first of several production EVs Renault plans to launch over the next few years and the first all-electric van to be developed and built by a vehicle manufacturer - or so the company claims.

Fitted with a 22 kWh lithium-ion battery, the Kangoo Express Z.E. (Zero Emission) is good for 160 km (99 miles) on a single charge (6 to 8 hours from a standard 220 volt socket). The electric motor produces 44 kw (60 hp) and 226 Nm from idle and top speed is electronically limited to 130 km / h (81 mph).

In Europe, the Kangoo Express Z.E. costs €20,000 (US$26,776), or €15,000 (US$20,082) after the €5,000 (US$6,694) electric vehicle subsidy. This is unavailable in the UK as the Kangoo Express is classed as a light commercial vehicle there.

With the subsidy the price is the same as that for the Kangoo Express diesel. Buyers also have the choice of leasing the van, though prices have not been disclosed.

However, it should be noted that ownership of the vehicle will be separate to that of the battery. According to the French carmaker, customers will be able to purchase, or rent, their Z.E. van and then lease the batteries for €72 (US$96) a month for four years, with a yearly driving limit of 14,490 km (9000 miles).

The cost to fully recharged the batteries (for up to 160km driving range) is believed to be between €1 and €2 (US$1.34 -$2.68) depending on local electricity prices.

The Kangoo Express Z.E. has the same cargo carrying capacity as its ICE siblings and can be pre-ordered today, with first deliveries expected for mid-2011.

By Tristan Hankins

New Renault Kangoo Van Maxi goes to... Extreme Wheelbase Length

Renault is stepping up its product offensive with the presentation of a new Maxi version of its second-generation Kangoo. With the Maxi, the French firm completes the Kangoo's range that includes the compact three-door and five-door models.

With an overall length of 4.60 metres or 181.1 inches, the Kangoo Van Maxi is 384mm longer than the standard Kangoo Van. All of this extra length has gone to the wheelbase that now measures a whopping 3.1 metres or 122 inches, meaning its 65mm longer than that of the standard Mercedes-Benz S-Class!

Renault offers the Kangoo Maxi with either two or five seats, both fitted as standard with twin sliding rear doors.

The two seater version boasts an extra cubic metre of load volume over and above that of Kangoo Van at 4.6m3 and a payload of 800kg. It can be equipped with a folding passenger seat, allowing the maximum load length at floor level to be extended from 2.1 metres to 2.9 metres with the rear bench folded.

In terms of towing capacity it can handle a braked trailer weight of 1.05 tonnes.

The five-seater Kangoo Van Maxi Crew Van has a maximum load length at floor level of 1.33 metres or 2.2 metres with the rear bench seat folded, and a payload of 740kg.

The Maxi will be offered with the same engines as the rest of the Kangoo range including a 1.5-liter dCi unit with 85HP that returns average combined cycle fuel consumption of 5.3 lt/100km or 53.3mpgUK.

The new Renault Kangoo Maxi will go on sale across Europe from the end of April with further details and pricing to be announced closer to this date.

New Kangoo Be Bop ZE Plug-In EV Previews Tech to be Used on 2010 Nissan and 2011 Renault EVs

Renault took advantage of the Annual General Meeting of its shareholders today in Paris, France, to unwrap a more production-like version of its Kangoo Be Bop Z.E. concept that was first seen at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. What's really significant about this new prototype is that it features technology very similar to what will be used on the first all-electric Nissan vehicle due to be launched in the USA and Japan in 2010 and the rest of the world from 2012, as well as the equivalent Renault EVs in 2011, beginning with a family saloon in Israel, and a utility version of New Kangoo in Europe.

Derived from the production Kangoo Be Bop, the Z.E. (short for Zero Emissions) is powered solely by a 44kW (60HP) electric motor that revs to 12,000rpm and is coupled to a reducer which replaces the traditional gearbox.

The system deploys a set of lightweight and compact-sized lithium-ion batteries produced by AESC (Automotive Electric Supply Corporation), a Nissan-NEC joint venture which was founded in April 2007. Thanks to their compact size, the batteries can be positioned in various places in the car. In the case of the Be Bop, the batteries are located underneath the dashboard. Renault claims that the AESC battery pack is expected to deliver between 80 and 100 per cent of its original capacity for a duration of six years.

In the Kangoo prototype, the 15kWh battery delivers a range of approximately 100km or 62miles, but the French automaker supports that when released, the production Renault and Nissan electric vehicles will profit from an evolution to their battery technology which will take their real-world range to 160km or about 100 miles.

The batteries are charged through socket located behind a flap at the front of the vehicle alongside the right-hand headlamp. The cable plug allows two different battery-charging modes, a conventional charge via a household mains supply (10A or 16A 220V) that takes between six to eight hours and the so-called quick charge using a 32A 400V three phase socket, enabling up to 80 per cent charge in around 30 minutes.

However, Renault said that it is also working with the German group RWE to develop a universal standard, three phase plug that can be used with a 400V supply and will enable a complete charge in just 20 minutes.

To further improve the Kangoo's efficiency, the latest Be Bop Z.E. prototype benefits from a series of measures that include reworked aerodynamics with the ground clearance lowered by 20mm compared to the standard model. Unique features on the prototype include linear displays on the exterior part of the doors that show how much charge is left in the battery while inside, a gauge to the left of the instrument panel provides the driver with a permanent indication of how much battery charge remains.

Renault Z.E. Concept Based on the Kangoo Be-Bop

The best description we could think of for Renault’s Paris Show Z.E. concept car is a Kangoo of the not-so distant future. And truly enough, the Z.E., which by the way stands for Zero Emissions, is indeed based on the new Kangoo Be-Bop that also made its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show. The concept study utilizes the Renault-Nissan Group’s new electric drivetrain that will be massed produced in the beginning of the next decade. -Continued

More specifically, the Z.E. is equipped with a 70kW (95hp) electric motor which delivers torque of 226Nm with energy being provided by a latest generation set of lithium-ion type batteries.

Other notable features on the Z.E. Concept is include the use of heat-reflective paint and insulating bodywork that limits variations in temperature between the exterior and the interior of the car and the roof top solar panels that power a temperature regulation system.