Having Spent the Last 3 Weeks in Versailles France

[Woosie]

I was walking around today and saw a Renault Zoe (Vehicle Hub | ZOE | Cars | Renault UK) drive by - any electric vehicle person can spot them a mile away! I’ve grown fond of how the Renault Clio zips around - especially in the snow and ice of central France this last week. Zoe looks perfect for commuting in European cities, when compared to my current, disastrous rental of an Alfa Romeo Giullietta.

Even though I will, of course, order my Model 3, I thought I’d show you another choice that makes good sense in Europe. It has some really good features but lacks range for non-stop long trips. See for yourself!

 

[DanH]

Alfa Romeo Giullietta - Why disastrous? That’s MT car of the year!

 

[Drax]

Renault has some great compact designs! I’ve been in love with the Twizy since it was first announced, but they won’t sell them to anyone from outside Europe.

 

[Woosie]

Alfa Romeo Giullietta - Why disastrous? That’s MT car of the year!

In all fairness, I do have a rental...but the drivers rear view mirror is broken, so it doesn’t unfold automatically nor move up/down and left/right. I have to do that manually. It also is very low on oil so I negotiated a free quart of oil and added it myself (oil is about €13 here per quart). The tires are wholly unsuited for ice and snow - I was slipping all over last Tuesday evening. I’ve gotten used to the auto start feature of the diesel motor, and do like the lights that illuminate when you make full turns. Cruise control is nice, as well as the auto wipers. It helped to figure out how to change the multi screen from French to English, though I’m still baffled with the radio settings. Luckily, all of this is in my rental agreement so they won’t be able to shaft me when I turn this pig in Paris on the 20th.

I know your comment I sarcastic but after the s I would never buy one. Car of the Year, indeed!,

 

[Snow Drift]

Alfa Romeo Giullietta - Why disastrous? That’s MT car of the year!

Is this a joke? If not, the Giulia is not the same as Giulietta (a small hatchback not sold in the US).

 

[NeverFollow]

I was walking around today and saw a Renault Zoe (Vehicle Hub | ZOE | Cars | Renault UK) ...

Even though I will, of course, order my Model 3, I thought I’d show you another choice that makes good sense in Europe.
It has some really good features but lacks range for non-stop long trips. See for yourself!

Interesting to noticed that in the case of the Renault Zoe, you buy the car but lease (hire) the battery.

SELECTIONS (PCP) - Z.E. FLEX | New ZOE | Renault Offers

 

[Mitrovic]

We are in love with our Zoe's! It is a super mini! On track at a 12 hours race the 22 kW has beaten the 85 kW Model S.
And the new 40kW car is even better!

 

[NeverFollow]

...On track at a 12 hours race the 22 kW has beaten the 85 kW Model S.

Could you give some more information about this '12 hours race'?

 

[Yggdrasill]

The worst thing about the Zoe is the lack of rapid charging. It can charge at max 22 kW AC in Norway, which means that if you have a 40 kWh car, you need to recharge for around two hours every ~250 km.

I understand the Zoe is still sold with 43 kW AC charging in the rest of Europe, but it's still not great, as it's a pretty uncommon standard. CCS is what a non-Tesla should have.

 

[cwerdna]

We are in love with our Zoe's! It is a super mini! On track at a 12 hours race the 22 kW has beaten the 85 kW Model S.
And the new 40kW car is even better!

Are you talking about battery capacity? If so, it's measured in kWh, not "kW".

 

[Mitrovic]

Yes of course kWh!
The race was the 2nd Swiss Energy GP at the race track in Lignieres.
It started at 19.00 and ended at 7.00 in the morning. Every car got an outlet of 240 V and 32 A for charging! And that was the Catch 22!
The three top placed renault Zoe's have been able to charge much faster then the two Model S 85.
The Nissan Leafs, Smarts, VW E-Golf, BMW i3, were all beaten by far.
The two top places went to works Renault Zoe's with professional equipment. We ve been 3rd with our Zoe 22kWh and 43 kW charging.