|
|
Press Centre > CAPtivate > CAP Blog
|
|
Oct
21
Written by:
Martin Ward
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
 The Be Bop is a short wheel based version of the standard Kangoo car and van, and Renault chose to create a working model which was based on a concept vehicle. The Be Bop will never be sold in the UK, but will be very similar to drive to the forthcoming Kangoo electric vehicle. The Be Bop has a 60hp electric motor and goes from 0-50kph in 6 seconds.
Renault told us that electric vehicles will account for 20% of all their sales by 2020 and they estimate that there will be 3 million electric vehicles on the world’s roads by 2016. They say the introduction of a full production electric vehicle in 2011 will not be the end of the petrol and diesel powered vehicles, they will be an additional type of power source. Renault say the new Kangoo electric vehicle will cost the same to buy new as the equivalent diesel model, but the battery will not be included in the price as this will be leased on a monthly basis. They say the battery is a liability and expensive to replace so by not owning the battery, it is the safest option for the customer. The battery will have an estimated life of around ten years but they recommend that it is changed after seven years. Renault say that the customer will have to travel over 8,000 miles per annum for the electric vehicle to break even. Achieve a lower mileage than this and diesel will be cheaper to use.
The battery will take around 6 hours to charge from empty using a standard electricity plug, but it can be charged in thirty minutes if a specialist charging unit is used. A fully charged battery will cover up to 80 miles depending on use, whether the lights are on and if the heater or air conditioning is being used. As time goes on and batteries improve, this range is bound to increase.
 We drove the Be Bop around a private estate near Luton, as it was not registered to be driven on a public road. It is certainly quick and effortless to get up to 60mph. We have driven a few electric vehicles and all of them seem to have more than enough power. The Renault though does have ‘engine’ braking, so when you take your foot off of the accelerator, the car automatically slows down and you don’t have to touch the brake pedal at all unless it is an emergency. This will save wear and tear on the brake discs, which in turn will save money. The Be Bop, like all electric vehicles, is silent apart from a quiet whirring noise from the electric motor. This is great for the occupants to have peaceful motoring but dangerous for pedestrians, dogs and especially cats that like to sit underneath a car.
There are plans being drawn up between safety organisations, the government and the manufacturers to have a standard ‘noise’ built into the car so that they can be heard by pedestrians. What the noise will sound like is still being discussed by the relevant parties.
 Are electric vehicles really that clean? Admittedly, they produce zero emissions from the vehicle itself, but recent studies and the conclusions made are widely accepted by manufacturers, electricity companies and the green parties. In the UK, coal is responsible for 31% of all electricity generated, gas is 46%, nuclear is 13%, hydro is 1%, oil is 1% and other fuels is 5%. The conclusions from the study say that if all the electricity produced in the UK was all from coal, then this is the equivalent of the electric car producing 128g/km, but if it were all nuclear then this reduces to 12g/km and from natural gas to 65g/km. Throughout Europe, taking into account all the various forms of electricity generated and bearing in mind that France is mainly nuclear, the average equivalent CO2 emissions output from an electric car is 62g/km. In the UK, the average would work out to an estimated 75g/km if 77% of all electricity generated comes from gas and coal. Some conventional diesel powered cars are now below 100g/km, so electricity in reality is not far behind them in terms of CO2 emitted; this is not from the car itself, but from the power stations.
As Renault correctly say, the electric vehicle will not take over from conventional fuels and as lower CO2 emissions are developed through technology on petrol and diesel engines, then the electric vehicle will start to have the perception of a high CO2 in comparison.
 The Be Bop certainly is an interesting vehicle as it looks funky and has a lot of useful space. It is comfortable, easy to drive and above all, it is fun. However, when the ‘real’ version arrives in 18 months, it will be more practical and will I’m sure be bought by those who expect cheap motoring, with low CO2 emissions and want to be seen to be green. The cost of the battery is still unknown and repair costs in the event of an accident could be pretty hefty.
Renault are not stopping with the Kangoo electric vehicle as there are plans to bring in more models including the Fluence, which is a five seat hatchback similar in size to the Laguna. There is also the Twizy, a two seat ‘scooter car’ and the Zoë, which is a compact hatchback due in 2012.
Tags:
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
