And if Renault the importance of the ZOE in Quebec?

Frédéric Mercier

Thursday, 22-feb-2018 14:48

UPDATE
Thursday, 22-feb-2018 14:48

Look at this article

Electric cars are generating a lot of interest among Quebecers, but their sales are still minimal.

It must be said that the price of all-electric vehicles, despite a financial assistance of$ 8,000 from the quebec government, remain superior to those of equivalent models with gasoline.

And there is the offer, also. If you want to purchase a fully electric vehicle, let’s say that the shopping will not be too long to do. Models, there is not tons.

Read also: All cars in Quebec for sale in Quebec

Read also: electric Cars: when will the tsunami as expected?

In MUZE, a quebec organization that works to promote the electrification of transportation in North America, it is believed that this offer failed is one of the reasons that slow down the breakthrough of electric vehicles in us.

And according to its CEO, Pascal Gosset, a part of the solution may well lie at Renault. “In France, this is not the Nissan Leaf is the electric car the most sold. This is the Renault ZOE, and far”, he says. Indeed, with 15 245 units sold in France last year, the ZOE is the fully electric vehicle the most popular.

Renault ZOE

Small, but interesting

Adopting a format slightly larger than a Toyota Yaris, the Renault ZOE is not the kind of vehicle that appeals to our american neighbours. Except that in Quebec, the reality is different. Subcompact cars are more popular in la Belle Province, and Pascal Gosset believes that it could be a nice opportunity for the French manufacturer.

Available with a battery pack of 22 kWh, or 41 kWh option, the ZOE is available in France from 23 700 Euros, or the equivalent of$ 37,000 CAD. This is roughly the price that we demand for models such as the Nissan Leaf, the Volkswagen e-Golf or the Hyundai Ioniq, electric.

According to the New european cycle of driving, it can travel up to 400 miles in one charge. On its website, Renault also talks about a self “in real conditions” of 300 kilometres.

Renault ZOE

Plausible, really?

Even if Renault has no dealer in North America, it would not be too difficult for the manufacturer to go through the network of its partner Nissan, already very well established in the four corners of the continent. Not enough to make a few changes to the ZOE and to comply with the security standards canadian.

The manufacturer has already shown a certain interest to test the market in quebec by granting Azra Canada, a company based in Terrebonne, an exclusive license to sell the Twizy, a small electric vehicle as manufactured by Renault.

However, with a speed limited to 40 km/h and a template closest to that of a golf cart than a real car, the project has not been very conclusive. “There is no market for a vehicle like this here. This is not adapted to our reality, should be Pascal Gosset.

Is it that the story would be different with the ZOE?