Marie CLARET-TOURNIER
The 2018 Geneva Motor Show sees Renault, Europe’s number one electric vehicle brand, present the R110. Its latest electric motor will power the 2018 model-year ZOE, the continent’s best-selling EV.
With a power rating of 80kW, the new R110 motor is not only even more fun to drive than its predecessor – the R90 – but it is also 12kW more powerful, with no increase in either size or weight.
Drivers effectively benefit from brisker mid-range acceleration performance, with almost two seconds shaved off ZOE’s 80kph-to-120kph time.
Meanwhile, the new R110 motor carries over the same pick-up response at low speeds as the R90, from which it is derived, thanks to the near-instant availability of peak torque (225Nm) for sprightly performance in urban areas.
Elisabeth Delval, Assistant Director, ZOE programme.
“Thanks to this power boost, ZOE is even more responsive and versatile when used for journeys out of town,” says Elisabeth Delval, Assistant Director, ZOE programme. “In addition to being able to enjoy the pleasure of driving a ZOE, customers will also benefit from the longest range available for a mass-market electric car.”
More improvements for the electric motor made by Renault, Europe’s electric vehicle technology expert
In addition to reasserting its expertise in the field of electric motors, the new R110 marks another important phase in the roll-out of Renault’s electric motor development and production strategy.
Like its predecessor, the R90, the R110 is an all-electric, all-Renault motor that is made in France. Designed by engineers working out of the Renault Technocentre, near Paris, it is produced at the company’s Cléon plant in Normandy, close to the Flins factory where ZOE itself is made. The R110 was developed in the space of just two years.
“The R110 motor packs several innovations, notably regarding its stator winding and inverter components,” explains David Mazuir, Project Leader, Electric Vehicle Motors and Batteries. “The result is a power increase of 12kW without any increase in size or weight compared with the R90.”
The R110’s introduction takes the number of variants of the Renault motor available for Renault’s Kangoo Z.E., Master Z.E. and ZOE, and for the Daimler Smart Electric Drive to five (44kW, 57kW, 60kW, 68kW and 80 kW).
In addition to its zippy performance in urban areas, ZOE is now even more dynamic on faster roads too
Thanks to its higher power output, the new R110 motor’s peak torque is available across a broader band. The gain is notably felt from 80kph and ZOE’s 80kph-to-120kph time is effectively almost two seconds quicker for improved pick-up response on faster roads and motorways.
“With the new R110 motor under the bonnet, ZOE packs even more punch on faster roads,” reported Etienne Chavanne, Marketing Manager, ZOE, after test driving the 2018 model-year ZOE. “The result is extra driving enjoyment, while slipping into fast-moving traffic and controlling delicate situations is even easier.”
ZOE is naturally as at home in built-up areas as ever since the near-instant availability of peak torque (225Nm) ensures crisp acceleration and brisk pick-up when driving at lower speeds. This, plus the greater scope they offer for journeying out of town, makes R110-versions of Europe’s best-selling electric car even more versatile and allows drivers to benefit fully from ZOE’s range which is the longest in its segment.
Along with the availability of the new R110 motor, the 2018 model-year ZOE is also Android Auto-enabled and can be ordered in an exclusive new body colour. These features can be specified from March 2018 in France before they are rolled out gradually across the rest of Europe.
Groupe Renault, Europe’s number one electric vehicle manufacturer, is speeding up the roll-out of its Zero Emissions strategy* and innovations
- Groupe Renault stands out as a PIONEER…
►9 years of electric vehicle expertise already;
►Some 30,000 staff, and all its sales staff, have received training in electric vehicle
technology, design and production;
As well as the all-electric vehicle LEADER in Europe
►Practically 1 electric vehicle in 4 sold in Europe is a Renault,
►There are more than 150,000 Groupe Renault electric vehicles on the road across the world.
- To address the needs of its customers even more closely, Groupe Renault is…
Extending the DRIVING RANGE of its best-selling models…
►ZOE, Kangoo Z.E., RSM SM3 Z.E.;
Introducing increasingly punchier electric MOTORS…
►For example, the new 80kW R110 motor available for ZOE;
Providing new CONNECTED SERVICES aimed essentially at facilitating battery charging:
►The exclusive Z.E. Pass smartphone application facilitates access to more than 20,000
public charging stations in Europe,
►The My Z.E. Services smartphone application provides real-time information about battery-
charge levels, allows battery charging to be activated remotely, pre-sets the cabin temperature,
etc.;
Extending its electric vehicle RANGE which already stands out as the market’s most comprehensive…
►Recent launch of the Master Z.E. van, availability of the Cargo version of Twizy, etc.
►By 2022, its EV range will comprise 8 electric vehicles and 12 electrified vehicles.
- In addition to being at the forefront of electric mobility, Groupe Renault is also setting the pace in the development of its entire EV ECOSYSTEM in association with new partners.
►Co-development of innovative solutions for the storage of energy in the batteries of its electric
vehicles to optimise demand and supply via increasingly efficient smart grids:
►Smart electric vehicle charging (thanks notably to the Z.E. Smart Charge smartphone
application) – batteries are charged when electricity is at its cheapest and less carbon-intensive;
►Second-life EV batteries – once batteries are no longer suitable for powering electric vehicles,
they are used to store renewable energy (essentially solar energy) for local needs, for domestic
purposes or in office buildings, for example.
Groupe Renault is actively favouring the emergence of increasingly people-centric, affordable and environmentally-respectful electric mobility
* zero CO2 emissions and zero emissions of regulated pollutants during road use, excluding wear parts