A bigger battery enhances Renault’s baby electric.

ONE of Europe’s pioneering electric cars has arrived in an updated form with considerably improved range, step-off and also a slight price bump.

The Renault Zoe has been an undeniable success for the French company since its launch back in 2012, quickly becoming the best-selling electric vehicle in France, while also being the best-selling EV in the world in 2015 and 2016. However it has been resolutely niche here since the nameplate first officially represented in 2016, with more success as a grey import than as a brand-new choice.

Renault New Zealand has not expressed any volume target for the just-landed update, whose single biggest revision is a swap to a more powerful lithium ion battery that improves range to a cited 395km, as measured on the WLTP scale. That’s a 25 percent improvement on the previous edition, which ran a 41kWh battery as opposed to the 51kWh unit now in the car.

The new unit enhances the power output, which rises from 68kW to 100kW in the flagship Intens and to 80kW in the $2000-cheaper Zen.

However only the top version achieves more torque as well, with 245Nm cited. In the Zen, meantime, the maximum output has fallen by 1Nm, to 225Nm now, according to brand-provisioned data.

The new models respectively cost $63,990 and $65,990. The previous Zoe was a $59,990 ask. However with the Government’s  Clean Car Discount of $8625, which enacted on June 1, the stickers drop to as low as $55,365.

Those positions put in the same price range as the electric Mini and the entry Tesla Model 3, though it is nonetheless considerably cheaper than it was when first released nationally, five years ago – back then, Zoe was a $75k car.

Renault NZ says this new model, which it is taking to call a ‘third generation’ regardless that it is really a significant facelift, also benefits from direct current (DC) charging capability. A new B Mode increases regenerative braking and allows one-pedal operation to make urban driving easier.

The car has a completely redesigned interior which offers “a more modern and elegant environment, with the addition of more premium materials and the latest connectivity and features.”