Renault has officially uncovered the
Twingo Z.E. electric city car ahead of its public premiere set for the 2020
Geneva Motor Show next week. Slotting between the Twizy and Zoe, it’s the
brand’s seventh electric vehicle and will take on the Volkswagen e-Up!, Skoda
Citigoᵉ iV and Seat Mii Electric, as well as the Smart EQ ForFour platform
sibling.
With the 22 kWh battery fully charged, the
Twingo Z.E. has a range of 180 km in the WLTP test cycle, which is
quite modest compared to the VW Group’s trio but better than the Smart EQ
ForFour.
The Citigoᵉ iV promises up to 265 km, the e-Up! can travel for 256 km on a single charge and the
Mii Electric boasts 259 km. The EQ ForFour has a 17.6 kWh battery
and a range of 159 km in the overly-optimistic NEDC test cycle.
Charging up the Twingo Z.E.’s battery at a
2.3 kW home socket takes 13 and a half hours whereas using a 3.7 kW or 7.4 kW
wall box cuts the time to 8 and 4 hours, respectively. From 0 to 80 percent
capacity, you’re looking at a charging time of 2 hours and 10 minutes using an
11 kW charger, or 63 minutes at a 22 kW charger.
The small electric motor peaks out at 81
PS and 160 Nm of torque and enables the Twingo Z.E.
to accelerate to 50 km/h in 4 seconds and reach a top speed of 135
km/h. There are no major styling differences between the ICE-powered
Twingo, which was facelifted last year, and the electric version. Both look
identical inside and out, bar the special badging received by the latter. At
240 liters, the boot capacity remains identical as well, and the
Twingo Z.E. features a 7-inch infotainment system with sat-nav, Apple CarPlay,
Android Auto and Google search. Users can remain in touch with the vehicle by
using the ‘My Renault’ smartphone app.