New motor could allow Renault's flagship electric car to travel up to 140 miles between charges, and will be introduced next springThe Renault Zoe will get a new electric motor in 2015, which will boost its efficiency by around 8 per cent.
The new motor is around 10 per cent smaller than the one currently used in the Zoe, and offers the same levels of performance, despite the reduction in size.
Renault won't confirm exactly how many more miles the new motor would manage over the outgoing one, but suggested it would boost the range by about 8 per cent. As the current car has a claimed range of around 130 miles, this would mean a theoretical range of around 140 miles.
As well as the increase in range, Renault says that the new motor will reduce the charging time when the car is plugged into lower power sockets. In the UK, this would equate to a reduction of around 20 minutes when plugged into a standard power home wall box.
The Chameleon charger remains the same, so the Zoe will be able to adapt itself to different power sources. However, it is not supplied with a three-pin plug, so owners have to fit a charging unit at home.
Power and torque outputs from the motor remain unchanged, at 87bhp and 162lb ft, so the performance remains the same. The current Zoe can reach 62mph in 13.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 84mph.
Renault has acheived much of the size reduction by moving the junction box, power electronics and Chameleon charger into one box.
The firm says that it worked with Nissan on the processes behind developing this new motor, but the final design was created by Renault's engineers in France.
The new motor will be available in the Zoe from spring 2015.
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