Renault's Kangoo Be Bop Z.E. Electric Prototype Hits The Road

BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT, FRANCE - Renault released further details this week about their future electric car strategy and said that their Renault Kangoo 'be bop' ZE Electric prototype car (see photo) is now available for road tests by journalists. Renault also said that the electric car powertrain technology being demonstrated in the new Kangoo be bop ZE is the same as what will be released in their 2011 Renault production electric cars.

Renault says that the new Kangoo be bop ZE prototype specifications are a 44 kW (60 hp) electric motor powered by a 15 kWh battery. Renaults design engineers indicate that the current prototype Kangoo be bop has a range of 100 km (62.5 miles) on a full charge, but that for the 2011 Renault production car, the design intent will be to develop battery technology to an extent that the production model provides a range of at least 160 km or 100 miles. Renault says that their design timeline is the next 18 months to perfect their electric car technology and they are doing this along with their automotive partner Nissan.

One of the areas that Renault is focusing on is in achieving weight reduction for electric cars, because this brings improved efficiency and delivers greater driving range for the vehicle. Renault engineers are working hard on new car body structural engineering concepts for future electric cars, where the use of light weight 'fly by wire' control technology, and the minimization of functional components becomes essential. These design advancements will be significant contributors to achieving higher levels of efficiency in Renault's new 2011 electric cars.

All news