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Test drove a Renault Fluence EV

Discussion in 'EV (Electric Vehicle) Discussion' started by GrumpyCabbie, Sep 10, 2011.

  1. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Had a drive in a Renault Fluence EV on Thursday. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Fluence_Z.E.

    OK it wasn't a production version and was LHD (so weird having everything the wrong way round). It was at an EV car show in London and was there along with the Volt/Ampera, Nissan Leaf etc. The Fluence was a good drive and was much more normal looking than all the other EV's available now (or shortly). In fact it looked a little too bland and it was obvious it was just a conversion of a rather old design. Acceleration was quite good but not as good as the Leaf, though the predicted range is slightly greater. The HV battery sticks out like a massive metal suitcase in the boot/trunk though and there is not much room left - even after Renault have stretched the EV version of the Fluence to allow for the battery.

    Renault had some of their French engineers there and they were quite knowledgeable and inspired confidence (no, really). I was only in the car for 5 mins or so for a short spin but it was a nice quiet ride. OK car reviews aren't my thing, but I think the Fluence will be a serious contender in the EV market place over here, esp at the price of £17,850 compared to the Prius at £20,500 and the Leafs £26,000. OK you have to lease the HV battery which will be about £70 a month depending on mileage over 3 years but that could be a way to go, esp in these early days.

    Still, it works out about equal to a petrol or diesel car with the added benefit of access to low emission zones in certain cities.

    Would I get one? Hmmm, probably yes - despite it being a Renault - as the HV battery worry is taken care of. Shame you guys won't be getting it. :cool:

    p.s. No I didn't take any pics.
     
    #1 GrumpyCabbie, Sep 10, 2011
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  2. Flaninacupboard

    Flaninacupboard Senior Member

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    I got to drive one a couple of months ago at a renault event, and really enjoyed it! i liked the normalness of it, was a bit disappointed by the acceleration (and only got up to about 50) and the boot space (and i think i will always want a hatch, not a saloon) but liked the price. Thinking about it though the fluence would end up costing me more than the plugin prius, because my mileage means i'd have to pay about £100 a month for the battery rental.

    I understand Boris had a spin in one as well, and liked it. not sure if that's good or bad....?
     
    #2 Flaninacupboard, Sep 10, 2011
  3. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Ah but the prices haven't been fully realised as yet - and I'm waiting to hear back from them regarding any special considerations for environmentally conscious taxi drivers ;)

    And yes, I'm not sure Boris driving one is a good endorsement! lol. Actually I like Boris - he adds much needed character to politics. and anyone who sports hair like that is OK by me. :D [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Johnson"]Boris Johnson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
     
    #3 GrumpyCabbie, Sep 10, 2011
  4. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    ... Buying the car and rent the battery!
    Probably a good idea, much lower initial price and no battery liability. But, may still have to pay a minimum/month even if the car is not driven much or even garaged.
     
    #4 Sergiospl, Sep 10, 2011
  5. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Yeah I wasn't too convinced by the idea of renting a battery but the more I think about it the more I become convinced - at least in the early days of EV ownership.

    All of Renaults new EV fleet are going to be competitively priced BUT with HV battery leasing. Their partner company Nissan are going the other route - buying the vehicle AND battery outright.

    It's early days and I'm sure one way will become the norm but it's too early to tell which at this stage.
     
    #5 GrumpyCabbie, Sep 10, 2011
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  6. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    I think leasing the battery is a good idea especially for companies using fleet vehicles. Even if the cost of driving is the same or even more, but with less emissions, less oil.
     
    #6 Sergiospl, Sep 10, 2011
  7. Flaninacupboard

    Flaninacupboard Senior Member

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    The amount you pay is based on the total you drive across 3 years, so yes you will pay even if you don't drive for a whole month (or 6), but your total payments would go down slightly (if you crossed a mileage threshold).
    And my quoted £100 came from andy heiron at renault, so i'm inclined to believe it :)
     
    #7 Flaninacupboard, Sep 10, 2011
  8. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    So how many miles did they quote you £100 pm for? 15k pa?
     
    #8 GrumpyCabbie, Sep 10, 2011
  9. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Years ago, when battery Leases were 1st proposed, the idea got shot down completely - when it was presented to prospective Leafers - and Nissan & Renault are sister companies as far as I can tell. No one wants to be held hostage to a battery down the road that's too expensive ... leaving you with no working car. That said, several of us locally were selected for a Renault survey. The EV they had us mess with in NO way was as nice as the one GrumpyC displayed. It looked more like this (except the one they sat us in had sort of a cloth/fabric sunroof):

    [​IMG]

    At 6'-5" teeny cars can be an issue for me ... especially if the seat won't go back far enough. That said, I used to own a 600cc honda coupe 'Z'. It looked like I had to unfold in order to get out of it ...
    :p
    .
     
    #9 hill, Sep 11, 2011
  10. R-P

    R-P Active Member

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    Went to a Renault dealer last week to look at one (had some spare time and happened to drive past).
    Turns out they have a special dealership for the electrical fleet, on the other end of Rotterdam :mad: They didn't even have any promotional folders. They did print out the Twizzy brochure (as a motorcyclist I might like that too, but it's too slow for motor/highway :rolleyes:)
    The electrical Renault dealer is close to the Lexus dealer though, still would very much like a run in an RX450h :D

    (Was an almost RX400h owner (blind-auction, missed by ~4%) long before becoming a Prius owner:cool:)
     
    #10 R-P, Apr 5, 2012
  11. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Yeah it's not all Renault dealers at the moment. I had to drive 20 miles to a different city to have a look but it was worth it. The Fluence is actually a nice car to drive, much quieter than the Prius when at speeds - much less tyre noise. The leased HV battery takes that worry away too.

    If the boot/trunk was bigger I'd have a Fluence on my drive today.

    The Twizzy looks like fun but is definitely a summer only vehicle. A friend of mine is getting one - he's a real petrol head and it came as a surprise, but he likes the running costs for those times you don't need a car. I guess it'll be the most fun you can have under 50 mph.
     
    #11 GrumpyCabbie, Apr 5, 2012
  12. Mister MMT

    Mister MMT Active Member

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    @GrumpyCabbie: did you consider the Renault Zoé. It's quite a bit larger then the Yaris Hybrid or Renault Clio, has 338 l trunk space and looks pretty nice. It uses the same commercial approach including leasing the HV battery, but is priced prity competitively.

    I collected quite a lot of reading on it, but in French.

    Jan
     
    #12 Mister MMT, Apr 5, 2012
  13. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Oh the Zoe EV is a cracking car and at £13,650 is cheaper than the Yaris Hybrid to buy though you need to spend £70 a month on battery lease, but I use my car as a taxi (or did and might do again in future) so the Zoe will be way too small.

    Renault ZOE Life | 100% Electric car | Z.E.

    £13,650 (US$21624 including our 20% sales tax), 84 mph top speed, 125 mile (200km) range.

    I think it'll be a hit. Back in the early 1990's the Renault Clio [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_Clio]Renault Clio - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame] was a big hit here, but the sales dropped as the updates made the car fatter and uglier. The Zoe will copy that initial success I think - we like French cars here despite the reliability issues.
     
    #13 GrumpyCabbie, Apr 5, 2012
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