Renault Zoé : A new opportunity for occasional drivers

Electric cars are not accessible for everyone; they are probably not expensive. And Renault is aware of that. If we take into account not only the costs associated with the purchase of the car (which starts with €14,600; ecological bonus already deducted) but also the installation of the Wallbox - the home charging box (these costs start at €490 + installation costs which start at €370), we can say that these costs are really significant. And until now, Zoé drivers had to pay a minimum of 79 € per month to rent the batteries for this vehicle. This is an offer from "Z. E. Flex" with a minimum commitment of 36 months and a limited mileage not exceeding 12500 km per year (depending on the subscription, this price could even reach 122 € per month). But seeing that these costs can stop even the most persuaded buyer from buying this car, Renault is now offering battery rental for customers who do not drive much, no more than 5000 km per year. Of course, the commitment remains the same: a minimum of 36 months and with a mileage limit that cannot exceed 1250 km per quarter. The costs of this offer (which is called "Z. E. Access") are cheaper: one can almost say that it costs only 49 € per month to be able to drive this car (for the minimum 36-month commitment; for the 24-month commitment it is 59 € per month and for the 12-month commitment it is 69 € per month). For all rates you must add 20 eurocents per kilometre (which exceeds the 5000 km per year already mentioned). « Z. E. Access" is prepared for those who don't drive much. The mileage not to be exceeded allows its customers to cover short distances of 400 km per month, which corresponds to an average journey from home to work and 20 km per day. Is that enough for most of us? Whether it is or not, it is good to see that manufacturers are increasingly aware of the costs of their cars and that they are not accessible to everyone. And if we want to have more and more electric cars on our roads, we must react to this. And the proposal described in this article is a good example of this reaction. We are eagerly awaiting the movements of other manufacturers. As a reminder, a few words about Renault Zoé. This car is purely electric (non-hybrid), using only the electric energy charged in its batteries. Although it was presented at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, its marketing in France started in March 2013. According to its manufacturer, its range reaches 210 km but, in "normal", rather urban traffic, it is about 150 km (of course there are ways to extend this range). "Zoe", according to the manufacturer, is not a first name but a Greek word meaning "life".