Renault’s smallest car, the Twingo, seems to be
ready to make the transition to battery-electric power. This would allow it to challenge
the likes of the Volkswagen e-Up! and other zero-emission A-segment hatchbacks
out there. If the report from Autocar turns out to be true, then the electric
Twingo should arrive as early as next year.
Electrifying the third-gen Twingo would have been
easy, as it shares the same platform with Smart’s ForTwo and ForFour, both of
which are being offered with electric powertrains alongside the ICE-powered
variants. Renault even previewed the small EV that never went into production
with the 2013 Twin’Z, a concept built on the same architecture as the latest
Twingo. The study used a rear-mounted electric motor that produced 68 PS, powered by a lithium-ion battery pack mounted under the floor.
The small hatchback is not the only electric car
planned by Renault, as a larger model could be offered as a direct rival to the
Volkswagen ID.3 or Tesla Model 3. In total, they want to have eight
zero-emission vehicles in the lineup by 2022, so they can get establish
themselves as serious players in the market.
