More than seven years since it first hit the world
stage, the all-electric Renault Zoe hatch is now officially confirmed for
Australia and its cargo-hauling buddy the Kangoo ZE will finally also be
available to local buyers.
This announcement follows the story that CarAdvice
broke in early August, confirming Australian government approval for local
sales of the Zoe – a sure sign that Renault had at last committed to bringing
its popular little EV to Oz.
Pricing for the Zoe will begin just below AUD 45,000
for the Life model, and climb closer to AUD 50,000 for the Intens model. The
Kangoo Maxi ZE is expected to be priced at just over AUD 45,000. These prices
exclude on-road costs, too.
Exact launch timing for the Zoe is still to be
confirmed, although Renault has at least confirmed we’ll see the Kangoo EV here
from November. The beginning of the ‘affordable’ EV era will, presumably, kick
off with the next Zoe, if that circa-AUD 45,000 price for the ageing
current-generation model is any indication.
To its credit, the Zoe will arrive with a driving
range of 400 kilometres on the European test cycle, although Renault concedes
buyers should expect a number closer to 300 km in real-world ‘summer’ driving.
That number is courtesy of a big ‘ZE.40’ battery upgrade in September last
year, with 41kWh of “usable battery energy” comfortably doubling the Zoe’s original
(listed) range.
As for the Kangoo EV, expanded Australian
availability follows a long-running trial that saw Australia Post using a small
number of the electric vans on its delivery fleet. Those examples used a 22kWh
battery pack, claiming an official driving range of 170 kilometres – although
real-world range would be shorter.
