We don’t normally report on concept cars here at Alt Fuel Autos. After all, they are just that, concepts. However, the 100% electric Renault ZOE e-Sport Concept certainly caught our eye. An electric vehicle (EV) similar to this just makes sense and would certainly fill a void in the current market. Renault’s satin blue, two-seater hot hatch has had the media salivating since its unveiling on March 7 at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show.
With the exception of Teslas, many EVs leave a lot to be desired in the looks department. Not Renault’s ZOE e-Sport Concept. It has a sleek, aerodynamic body with a low-slung, menacing stance. It reinforces Renault’s commitment to the notion that EVs can be “fun and fast.”
“The brief for the Renault ZOE e-sport Concept couldn’t have been simpler: ‘Have fun!’ So we came up with something midway between a production model and a racing car,” said Concept Car Design Director Stéphane Janin.
The ZOE e-Sport Concept is based on the regular ZOE supermini EV platform. Sales of the ZOE have been extremely promising — it was Europe’s top selling EV for the past two years running.
The e-Sport’s dual electric motors, sitting at the front and rear, were developed by engineers at Renault Sport Racing, the team behind Renault’s FIA Formula E championship car. Formula E is the world’s first fully-electric, single-seater racing series, in which Renault is currently streets ahead of its nearest rival, Audi.
With 460 bhp (~340 kW) and a virtually instantaneous 640 Nm of torque on-tap, the e-Sport backs up its good looks with blistering performance. It can sprint from 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) in a supercar-crushing 3.2 seconds. Top speed is limited to around 130 mph (~210 kph) which is within reach in under 10 seconds. Keep in mind that the regular ZOE takes around 13.5 seconds, to reach only 62 mph!
As expected, the e-Sport has been designed with more than just straight line performance in mind. The EV has a wider track compared to the standard ZOE and sits on 20″ wheels which are clad in 245/35 rubber. The e-Sport is loaded with four-way adjustable dampers and double-wishbone suspension at both ends. Combine these enhancements with all-wheel drive and the e-Sport Concept has exceptional cornering ability.
The e-Sport Concept weighs only 1,400 kg, about 70 kg less than a regular ZOE. Weight has been trimmed by using carbon fibre body panels throughout. The heaviest components are the two batteries which weigh a combined 450 kg. We won’t speculate on what range you could expect from the e-Sport’s 40 kWh battery pack. However, the regular ZOE supermini, available with the same size battery pack, has a real-world range of 186 miles (299 km) in summer and 124 miles (200 km) in winter. Expect much less than this if the e-Concept’s full performance were used often.
Whilst a fully-loaded production model of Renault’s e-Sport Concept is unlikely, hopefully some of its race-bred DNA could trickle down into something at least similar. Now, if we get rid of the prohibitively expensive carbon fibre panels, maybe change to smaller 18″ wheels and slightly less powerful electric motors, it would still be a potent weapon perhaps within reach of the average consumer. However, there would also be a niche market for a fully-loaded version too. Why not both? Other EV manufacturers can also apply.
Source/s: Renault Int, Renault AU, Platinum Renault, Car Advice.