Renault has unveiled a new battery for the Zoe electric car that will let it go 250 miles on a single charge, further than any other mainstream electric car and double the range of the original Zoe. The Tesla Model S by comparison can go 240 miles on a charge.
Renault says real world use and traffic conditions mean the Zoe will actually do around 186 miles on a single charge. But the battery will charge up in the same time as the previous model, so around 30 minutes of charge will provide 50 miles worth of driving range.
The Z.E. 40 has double the amount of useful energy compared to the old model: 41kWH compared to 22kWh, but hasn’t gained any weight. It’s been developed with LG Chem and has a an electronic management system to optimise energy use on the move as well as a new air circulation system to maintain the in-car air temperature at a constant level.
The new Zoe can be identified by a new naming structure to reflect its horsepower rating. A 2016-onwards Zoe with the 22kWh rapid charge battery will be known as the R90, while the 43kWh quick charge battery is the Q90.
To coincide with the launch of the new battery, Renault has developed and launched two free services Z.E. Trip and Z.E. Pass. Trip will show you all public charging points from within Renault’s R-Link navigation system, including whether the point is compatible with the car and if it’s free to use.
The Z.E. Pass app will let you pay to use charging points across Europe and show you the different prices of different points. Both services will be rolled out to the UK in the coming months.
The new Z.E. 40 battery for the Renault Zoe will go on sale in November.