Now that the Renault Twingo ZE appears at Renault’s German and French websites, we have the official WLTP ratings.
There’s good and bad news…
The bad news is that Renault’s on-board charger is still very inefficient at low currents. Charging at 10 amps has an efficiency of roughly 70 percent. To have a decent charging efficiency the current should be at least 16 amps, with 32 amps being recommended. Have this in mind when you choose an EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) if you have an electric car made by Renault.
The good news is that the WLTP range is higher than was previously estimated by Renault. The WLTP city range is increased from 250 to 270 km and the WLTP combined range is increased from 180 to 190 km.
While still low, it’s always nice to see a bit more range.
How does the Renault Twingo ZE compares to VW’s cheapest alternative, the SEAT Mii electric?
Renault Twingo ZE
SEAT Mii electric
Notice that WLTP efficiency ratings include charging losses and are made at 10 A charging, which doesn’t help the Renault Twingo ZE. However, if you charge at 32 A the Renault Twingo ZE is more efficient than the SEAT Mii electric.
Unfortunately the Renault Twingo ZE and the VW electric triplets are only considered as backup plans by their makers. They are the electric cars that Renault and Volkswagen will eventually try to sell only if the sales of the more profitable ZOE and ID.3 aren’t enough to meet EU emissions targets…
With poor ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) car sales this year they aren’t needed to meet those targets, that’s why price and availability are so lousy for these electric cars right now. This will probably change next year when ICE car sales are up again and automakers will have to sell more electric cars to reduce the emissions of their fleets.
Anyway, a new generation of the Renault Twingo ZE will arrive in 2022 with more range and definitely with a better price.
