For a while now the Renault Zoe has been the best selling electric car in Europe, but with more competition coming this year, this great electric supermini needs an upgrade to keep its leading position.

When we think about electric car upgrades, our immediate attention goes to the battery capacity and range. Nonetheless, there are many things that are just as important in an electric car.

Below are some things that I expect to see improved or added in Zoe’s new version.

More powerful electric motor

The rumored name R110 suggests a 82 kW (110 HP) electric motor, meaning a 22 % power increase from the previous R90 version. Enough to make it very fun to drive and possibly more efficient at highway speeds.

CCS charging port

Renault said this before, new electric cars from this automaker will finally have the ability to fast charge via a CCS connector. CCS capability combined with 3-phase 22 kW on-board charger is the perfect combination for European customers.

Safety

Safety features such as AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking), LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System) or ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) should be standard in every modern car, electric or not.

Better rear seats

The rear seats should fold completely flat in a 60:40 configuration. Current rear backrest can only be folded in one piece, rather than a 60:40 split, which is very unpractical.

Decent glove box

The current glove box is so tiny that is useless.

LED headlights

This should already be standard in every car, especially if it’s electric.

Heated seats

Should be available in every trim level, not only in the higher ones.

Finally, with the energy density increase provided by the upcoming NCM 811 batteries Renault can do two things: increase the battery capacity or reduce costs. Since I believe that price is now more of a problem than range, I prefer the second option, but wouldn’t mind if Renault did both, by selling the Zoe with two battery options making everybody happy. What do you think?

More info:

http://renault-zoe.forumpro.fr/t10653-nouvelle-nouvelle-zoe

https://speakev.com/threads/zoe-r110-anyone-know-anything.98201/

https://www.goingelectric.de/forum/renault-zoe-antrieb-elektromotor/neuer-staerkerer-motor-fuer-ze-40-modelle-t29291.html

http://europe.autonews.com/article/20180120/ANE/180119692/renault-strives-to-keep-zoe-competitive-in-growing-ev-market