The company’s CEO has been driving one for six months on a daily basis, to be able to understand the pros and cons of EVs.Īfter 4,000 problem-free kilometers, he claimed the 150 km range was more than sufficient, his kids loved to be passengers, he was glad there was no space for his mother in law and the in-town acceleration was enough to humble sports cars. For utility companies, electric cars are the equivalent of sildenafil citrate, and this particular utility (EKZ of Zurich) has 30 Twingo Elettricas in its fleet. I tested the Twingo in conjuction with a seminar held by a Swiss electric utility.
#TWINGO QUICKSHIFT PLUS#
The electric version does without the sliding seats but still has plenty space for four, plus acceptable luggage. It was a versatile little car that had exceptional interor space due to a sliding rear seat and a micro-van layout. In fact, the Renault Twingo sold in almost 2.4 million units during its run. It felt like a solid, effective, well-made car-which may have something to do with the fact that the Twingo had a production run of 13 years before MES-DEA breathed their electrons upon it. Unlike the Th!ink: the Twingo seems properly screwed together, with no creaks or buzzes to be heard. Through urban Zurich, the Renault EV handled bumps quite well, albeit feeling heavier than a normal small car. Steering is synthetic (as in all first-generation Twingos). Strong, torquey acceleration is accompanied by an unobtrusive electric-motor whine. You get in, turn the key, put the direction selector in gear, and set off. The problem I had with the Th!nk was not with the electric system, but with the car. Be it as it may, MES-DEA is delivering EV Th!nks, Twingos and Fiat Pandas to customers in Switzerland and Italy on a daily basis. EV-insiders claim corporate politics that led to Zebra’s abandonment. Mercedes says they quit Zebra because of the sodium battery’s requirement to be kept at a high temperature. Mercedes was involved in Zebra technology for about a decade for three reasons: simplicity, recyclability and a lower price. To freshen up your memory, the molten-salt-based Zebra system is about 70% as energy-dense as Lithium-Ion batteries. It has the same quaint-yet-effective Zebra battery system as does the Nordic Th!ink.
So it was with some skepticism that I took the helm of a Renault Twingo that MES-DEA (a Swiss company) had turned into an EV. A real let-down when you consider that it was specifically designed for the requirements of electric power. But I say: Wrong! The electric Twingo I drove proves that there is more to making a good drive than just getting the propulsion stuff right.Īs previously reported, the Th!ink EV was a disappointment: feckless, lightweight-feeling, stiff-legged, wobbly. It’s 1910 all over again, and internal-combustion cars are going the way of the horse-drawn carriage. A car maker’s core business is engines-but engines are over, they say. Car manufacturers are toast! At least, that’s what members of the Electric Vehicle (EV) religion believe.
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