Renault has confirmed it will launch a new, all-electric variant of the Twingo city car later this year, alongside its forthcoming range of E-Tech hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The announcement follows Renault’s decision to withdraw the Twingo from the UK market last year, following poor sales.
Renault is yet to officially announce details on the Twingo Z.E.’s powertrain. However, given that the Twingo shares the same platform as the Smart EQ ForFour, we expect it will use the same 17.6kWh battery pack and 80bhp rear-mounted electric motor.
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That powertrain should give the Twingo Z.E. a 0–62mph time of around 12 seconds, top speed of 81mph and an electric range of around 90 miles on a full charge.
We expect the Twingo Z.E. will also share Smart’s 22kW charging architecture, enabling a charge from 10 to 80 per cent capacity in less than 40 minutes. It’s also likely that buyers will be offered a similar smartphone application to Smart’s, allowing them to remotely check the status of their vehicle, providing information on the car’s charge level, location and range.
The Twingo Z.E. is expected to make its official debut at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show, before going on sale in Europe later this year. Renault currently has no plans to sell the electric Twingo in the UK.
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