Ahead of the Geneva International Motor Show, Renault finally unveiled the specs of its new electric car, the Twingo ZE.

Let’s see the highlights of this new electric car.

With Twingo Z.E., Renault’s iconic small city car now has an all-electric engine to offer even greater driving pleasure and comfort in everyday life. With its bubbly personality, this fun and easygoing car reaches its full potential in its favourite playground. By going all-electric, Twingo is more than ever the queen of the city! Twingo Z.E. takes Twingo’s fun design, attractive personality and exclusive customisation possibilities and enhances them with features that underline its electric character. Renault has leveraged its extensive knowledge of the small city car segment to develop an electric car whose driveability, operating range and features are perfectly suited to the needs of city drivers. Built on a platform designed for electric cars, Twingo Z.E. offers performance and pleasure which magnify the factors that have already made Twingo such a success.

Twingo Z.E. is built on a platform originally designed for electric cars, thus taking advantage of all the

electric-vehicle expertise acquired by Groupe Renault over the past ten years. Its 22 kWh battery boasts latest-generation lithium-ion cells developed in partnership with LG Chem.

It has been fitted into the car so as not to alter either the overall roominess or the volume of the

boot. Thermal management is provided by a water-cooling system, a first in the Renault Z.E. range.

Paired with a Caméléon® charger developed by Groupe Renault for ZOE, the Twingo Z.E. battery

offers optimised charging across all charging stations in alternative current (AC) up to 22 kW. Its

aluminium crash boxes, fully embedded in the battery structure, further strengthen its lateral

resistance.

The Twingo Z.E. powertrain (motor, reduction gear and charger) is based on that of New ZOE and

manufactured at Cléon in western France, on the production lines that already manufacture other

electric engines for Renault and its partners. It gives the mini city car first-class energy efficiency.

The car is assembled at the Novo Mesto plant in Slovenia, where all Twingo versions are made, and

distributed and serviced through the Renault network. All Renault’s sales and technical teams in

Europe have been given training in the specific features of electric vehicles. The “Eco” mode, activated by pushing a button on the centre console, offers an operating range of

around 215 kilometers (125 miles) on mixed journeys, by limiting acceleration and top speed on

motorways.

Flexible charging system With its smart Caméléon® charger patented by Renault, Twingo Z.E. can be charged at home, at work

or using alternating current (AC) power infrastructure up to 22 kW. The technology enables it to

adapt to the power available at each charging station and make full use of existing facilities,

especially in cities. As a result, Twingo Z.E. benefits from optimum charging time whatever the

charging station. It charges up to four times faster than its competitors at those most commonly

found in public areas. Connection to a 22-kW charging station for just thirty minutes increases

Twingo Z.E.’s operating range by around 80 kilometres (50 miles) for mixed journeys.

Driveability Twingo Z.E.’s highly responsive electric engine further emphasizes the car’s fun and dynamic character. Its compact size (3.61 metres long) and wheels located at the four corners increase its agility. Just like its internal combustion counterpart, Twingo Z.E. with its rear-mounted engine still provides the best-in-class turning radius: only 4.30 metres are required to make a U-turn.

Engine Twingo Z.E.’s 60 kW (82 hp) engine immediately provides an available maximum torque of 160 Nm*. Drivers get strong and silent acceleration and pick-up even at low revs. The engine can reach 50 km/h (31 mph) in barely four seconds*. While the 135 km/h (84 mph) top speed permits all motorway travel*.

Driving modes Twingo Z.E features a “B mode” giving drivers a choice of three levels for the regenerative braking function as soon as they release the accelerator pedal. In the most advanced configuration, the car decelerates significantly, which quickly regenerates the battery, reduces the need for braking and makes city driving easier. In contrast, the most continuous mode allows the vehicle to keep going almost as if it was in freewheel mode.

Operating range With its 22 kWh battery, Twingo Z.E. has a range of around 250 kilometres (143 miles) in WLTP City

cycle and 180 kilometres (102 miles) in Full WLTP cycle**. Given that the average daily commute for

mini city car users in Europe is around 30 kilometres (19 miles), the operating range is sufficient for a

week’s commuting without charging, making it the perfect electric city car alternative to internal

combustion versions.

Regarding dimensions, the Renault Twingo ZE is perfect for city driving.

Now let’s see the technical specs.

Let’s face it, the specs aren’t great and this Twingo ZE seems to be a stopgap until the new generation scheduled for 2022 arrives with more range and better price.

The VW electric triplets with their 36,8 kWh batteries have more range (260 km) and seem a better choice.

Renault Twingo ZE

Battery: 22 kWh (21,3 kWh usable)

Range (WLTP): 180 km (112 miles)

Motor: 60 kW

Pros

Better looking (subjective)

Rear-wheel drive (better turning radius)

Faster on-board charger

Skoda CITIGOe iV

Battery: 36,8 kWh (32,3 kWh usable)

Range (WLTP): 260 km (162 miles)

Motor: 61 kW

Pros

More range

DC fast charging

Regarding battery degradation, the Renault Twingo ZE has a proper TMS (Thermal Management System) that actively protects the battery from high temperatures. On the other hand, the batteries of the VW electric triplets have a much larger buffer, which also helps to reduce degradation. I think that if you don’t abuse of DC fast charging and don’t live in an extremely hot country, the VW electric triplets will have lower battery degradation than the Renault Twingo ZE.

I do have a soft spot for the Twingo ZE (cutest small car ever), but I also think that the Skoda CITIGOe iV would be a more rational choice. What about you? Do you think that the faster on-board charger of the Twingo ZE makes up for the lower range?

More info:

https://media.group.renault.com/global/en-gb/renault/media/presspacks/21239716/nouvelle-renault-twingo-ze-plus-que-jamais-la-reine-de-la-ville

https://media.group.renault.com/global/en-gb/download/21239716/presskit/pdf