The Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold its 2,50,000th electric vehicle. This vehicle, bought by Bordeaux-based Yves Nielle, was a Renault Zoe. This car is based on the Renault Clio and is powered by a 88.4bhp, 22.4kgm motor, called the R240. This synchronous, rotary-coiled motor was designed and built by Renault and has a range of 240km.
Yves exchanged his 21-year old diesel car for the Zoe after the French government introduced an environmental bonus in April that allowed for older, fossil-fuel powered vehicles to be traded in for a €10,000 (Rs 7.12 lakh) rebate on a new EV.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance reached this milestone within four and a half years of the launch of the Nissan Leaf, which is also the highest-selling electric vehicle of all time, with more than 1,80,000 units being sold. In the period from January to May 2015, the alliance sold about 31,600 EVs — a jump of 15 percent compared to the same period in 2014. The alliance now sells half of all EVs sold globally.
Speaking on this, Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance said, “Demand for our electric vehicles continues to grow thanks to government incentives and the expanding charging infrastructure. The positive response of our customers is also driving demand. These vehicles enjoy some of the highest levels of satisfaction rates from our customers around the world.”
In addition to the Leaf, Nissan also sells the e-NV200, the seven-seater MPV, which went on sale in Europe and Japan in 2014. Renault, meanwhile, sells the Kangoo Z.E van, the SM3 Z.E. sedan and the Twizzy, a two seater commuter vehicle. The first EV from the company, the Kangoo Z.E, went on sale in October 2011. The French carmaker has since then sold 65,000 EVs globally.
The Renault-Nissan Alliance has been appointed as the official passenger-car partner for the United Nation’s COP 21( Conference of Parties) climate conference to be held in Paris from November 30 to December 11 this year. As part of the agreement, 200 EVs will be provided to shuttle delegates to and from the conference.