RENAULT has introduced a new Z.E. 40 battery for ZOE. The new ZOE fitted with the new Z.E. 40 battery are made at Renault’s Flins plant in France.
“Renault has added a new dimension to the world of electric vehicles now that the ZOE’s range stands at 400 kilometers NEDC. It’s a breakthrough in all-electric motoring that will provide the range needed to make any motorist comfortable choosing electric.”
Eric Feunteun - Director, Electric Vehicle Division
The ZOE fitted with the new Z.E. 40 battery: the longest driving range of any mass-market electric vehicle
Double the range for even longer journeys
As the pioneer of all-electric mobility and Europe’s number one seller of electric vehicles, Renault has stepped up its innovation program and the deployment of its Z.E. strategy (Zero Emissions (1)).
Fitted with the new Z.E. 40 battery, the Renault ZOE now delivers a record NEDC driving range of 400km, which is twice the distance delivered by the model at the time of its original launch.
The new Z.E. 40 battery has a real-world range of 300 kilometers in urban or suburban areas, for example.
(1) Zero emissions during road use: no CO emission or emission of other regulated airborne pollutants during road use in compliance with the NEDC cycle (not including wear parts).
The new ZOE range is the longest of any mainstream all-electric vehicle and motorists can take advantage of this step forward now.
The ZOE is the best-selling electric vehicle in Europe and provides a real alternative to internal combustion- engine cars, since average daily commuting distances are well within the ZOE’s capabilities.
The new battery removes the final psychological barrier that stands in the way of buying an electric car since ZOE users can now travel further and enjoy a wider variety of driving situations without worry about charging. This makes weekend trips a real possibility.
The Z.E. 40 battery’s charging rate is similar to that of the standard battery, so ‘topping up’ doesn’t take long at all. For example, just 30 minutes are required on average to charge the battery for an extra 80 kilometers (4) of driving range when plugged into one of the many public charging points in operation in Dubai.
An innovation that doubles battery capacity with no increase in size
The ZOE’s new Z.E. 40 battery boasts 41kWh of useful energy, equivalent to almost double the storage capacity of the ZOE’s standard battery (22kWh of useful energy).
Developed in close partnership with LG Chem, the battery uses high-energy density lithium-ion technology.
Renault and LG engineers have succeeded in increasing storage capacity without making the battery any bigger or a lot heavier. It was optimized by working on the chemistry of the cells in order to increase their energy density, rather than stacking additional battery modules, a commonly used technique.
This major new technology was developed while ensuring the reliability and safety of the battery.
The large storage capacity of the battery ensures longer range for the ZOE thanks to the meticulous work that went into integrating the battery in the vehicle. The electronic management system of the battery optimizes the ZOE’s energy use on the move, while the new air circulation system maintains the temperature of the ZOE’s battery at a constant level, making the car economical to run in very hot or very cold weather.
(4) Charging speeds may vary slightly depending on air temperature, the initial charge level of the battery and the power effectively delivered by the charging station.
The ZOE: designed and made entirely by Renault
Just as it conceives and manufactures the majority of its powertrains, Renault designed and makes the ZOE, thanks not only to the expertise acquired as a pioneer in the world of electric-vehicles mobility and as Europe’s number one electric-vehicle brand, but also to its technical and sporting partnership roles in the FIA Formula E Championship. Groupe Renault’s know-how is chiefly rooted in France where its high added-value vehicles and components are essentially designed and produced.
Like the 22kWh battery, the new Z.E. 40 battery is assembled at Renault’s Flins plant, near Paris.
The same factory is responsible for the production of the Renault ZOE, alongside the Renault Clio. The ZOE was designed and engineered at the Renault Technocentre in Guyancourt, also near Paris.
The R75/90 motor is made at Renault’s Cléon factory in Normandy, a flagship facility in the field of engine and transmission production for the group. Launched in the spring of 2015 and originally known as the R240, this motor was entirely developed by Renault and led to the filing of 95 patents.
The housing that permits the battery’s integration in the ZOE, as well as the model’s front and rear suspension systems, were all conceived by Groupe Renault’s Chassis and Electric Vehicle Engineering Division and are manufactured at Renault’s Le Mans plant. — SG
