What lasts long should get better

Those who come too late have become general knowledge and life punishes them. So when Renault unveiled its first electrically powered Twingo at the Geneva Motor Show in early March, it was a world premiere, but it was also an old hat. The car itself has been in the trade for six years, the market launch of the electric variant will also take another year to come - and if you want to drive a Twingo-like car with battery operation, you can choose the identical Smart forfour EQ since 2017, too is still equipped with the same 60 kW / 82 hp engine as the Renault. So what makes the French so optimistic about the Twingo ZE? It is actually the time that has passed since 2017.

“We wanted to bring in our own know-how,” says product manager Laure Grégoire, product manager for Twingo ZE, which usually only means that we started a little late. However, Grégoire and other responsible parties rightly point out that Renault has installed the more current battery pack in its car. "The battery is different from the Smart, power electronics and battery management are also specific." This results in a longer range. While Daimler for the Smart forfour EQ a standard range of a maximum of 153 kilometers indicates that the Twingo ZE is at least 180 kilometers. And while 27 kilometers are of little or no importance for petrol and diesel cars, they can decide whether to arrive or stay where they are with the electric vehicle. Daimler names 17,6 kilowatt hours of charging capacity for the Smart, 21,3 for the more modern cells in Twingo.

Laure Grégoire would not be a good product manager if she did not point out a special feature of energy use. "In the WLTP city cycle, the Twingo ZE even manages 215 kilometers." The smart and all other electric vehicles can also travel longer distances in the city: Because in city traffic with its many braking processes, the drive system's ability to recuperate has a greater effect than at constant speed on country roads or Highway. If you take your foot off the pedal in an electric car, your engine is immediately transformed into a generator. Then the momentum of the rolling car does not simply fizzle out, but part of the kinetic energy is stored as additional electrical energy in the batteries. How much the Twingo ZE actually recuperates can be selected by the driver at the push of a button. Three levels are available, and in the strongest recuperation level the so-called one-pedal feeling should be achieved: If you do it skillfully, you don't have to press the brake pedal at a red light, but only let the car roll out at the right time. Ideally, it will come to a standstill directly at the traffic lights.

“Customers in this vehicle category use their cars for an average of 30 kilometers a day. So you can drive the Twingo ZE for a whole week without having to reload, ”says Grégoire. In terms of calculations, that's true (and if you only use the classic WLTP consumption, it is at least true for Monday to Friday), but it also takes a little courage to go on tour at the end of the week with low double-digit ranges. After all, if things get tight while driving, you can press the "Eco" button on the center console: it reduces the power output of the electric motor and extends the range. Consistent use of the Eco button enables a WLTP range of 215 instead of 180 kilometers, but would also result in a corresponding reduction in driving performance.

In addition to the battery pack, the Twingo ZE also took over the engine from the somewhat larger Renault Zoe, which is only available as an electric car. The 160 Newton meters of torque, which are typically available from a standstill, should also make the lighter Twingo ZE (1.178 kg) quite agile. Renault specified a time of 0 seconds for the acceleration from 50 to 4,2 km / h.

An advance over that Zoe is the fact that the Twingo batteries will be water cooled. Renault is taking a big step in terms of durability and performance of the battery pack. High temperature differences generally make batteries difficult, and they suffer not only on cold winter days, but also when it gets hot - be it due to the weather or high driving loads.

The Zoe takes over the Chameleon Charger, a charging system patented by Renault. It tolerates alternating current in voltages from 230 to 400 volts and charging powers of up to 22 kilowatts. Anyone who finds a corresponding quick charging station on the go with the Twingo ZE can tap electricity for a further 30 kilometers of standard range within 80 minutes. The full charge would take 63 minutes here, while this process takes a whopping 2,7 hours and 13 minutes at a normal household socket with 30 kilowatts of power. Twingo ZE drivers would be advised to have a 3,7 or 7,4 kilowatt wallbox installed. If the house's electricity grid allows it, the car can be fully recharged within eight or four hours.