Renault remains one of the strongest suppliers of electric cars accross Europe with four production electric models–the Twizy urban, the Zoe , the Fluence and Kangoo electric van which are all selling well, but Renault says it won’t be adding to that range any time soon.
Renault has sold around 29,000 electric cars worldwide since its first models, the Fluence and Kangoo, arrived in 2010. The bulk of those are the Kangoo, and the tiny Twizy, popular in cities and for its low price.
As part of their growth strategy, Renault is quoted as saying “The key is in reducing costs. Redoubling efforts to sell existing product improves economies of scale both on the electric drivetrain technologies and the vehicles themselves, these lower costs aid both profitability and, when passed on to consumers, sales volumes”.
Renault’s most recent sales results show the Zoe is selling in respectable volumes in Europe, with 4,770 registrations in the first half of 2013–a 29.5 percent share of the market. As more automakers launch their own EVs that market share is unlikely to remain static, further emphasizing the need to push existing products.
The latest release of electric vehicles, both battery and plug-in-electric, from main stream manufacturers includes performance cars and offroaders, but Renault’s global head of electric vehicles, Beatrice Foucher, has said that more needs to be done to educate potential buyers on price, charging and range before confidence is reached.
The electric car market won’t (and mustn’t) cease development, but Renault’s underlying message is simply to get those volumes up and costs down before promising the next generation of electric vehicles.