We seem to have been waiting ages, and today was the day that the new Zoe was collected - our first BEV ownership.

 

We ordered on 11 Feb and with CV 19 causing all sorts of worldwide difficulties, picking up the car today isn’t that bad really. 

The dealer called us in yesterday to complete the paperwork which meant that handover today was completed in around 15 minutes. 
 

Initial impressions are that the build quality is as good (bad) as expected, but the overall enjoyment of driving and features etc are better than expected.

 

I put together a video of first impressions if anyone wants to take a look

 

 

That grin at 7:30.

 

Welcome to the future

Thanks for sharing your experiences and wishing you both all the best with your new car.

 

I really wanted to like the Zoe, but unfortunately had to rule it out for me as the high seating position and low roofline really doesn't suit my large and not particularly flexible frame and getting in and out especially in tight parking spaces would be painful and difficult.

 

I've recently made the jump to a BEV and it is a very different experience from ICE cars. having driven mine for a month I briefly drove my partner's 1.2 DSG Yeti today, and I initially thought there was something wrong with it due to the vibration and power delivery.

 

 

 

Very interested to know what you got in the end then, @greenstripe ? 
 

I know what you mean about the seating position, you do feel that you’re sat on top of the battery (which you are). Felt very similar to the Fiat 500 we have had a few cars ago, not ideal but something we can live with.

@FatWolfie  A rather different proposition  from the Zoe - I got an Audi e-tron 50. i'm leasing it through my work (NHS) at a very subsidised price with extra incentives for going pure electric meaning that I've got a car that I could never otherwise afford.

 

 

On 27/06/2020 at 23:03, greenstripe said:

Thanks for sharing your experiences and wishing you both all the best with your new car.

 

I really wanted to like the Zoe, but unfortunately had to rule it out for me as the high seating position and low roofline really doesn't suit my large and not particularly flexible frame and getting in and out especially in tight parking spaces would be painful and difficult.

 

I've recently made the jump to a BEV and it is a very different experience from ICE cars. having driven mine for a month I briefly drove my partner's 1.2 DSG Yeti today, and I initially thought there was something wrong with it due to the vibration and power delivery.

 

How tall are you then ?

 

At 6 foot 1 inch ie 1.85,m I hope I am not too tall.  Clio and Scenic are OK for me.   Buttons are on the small side which annoys me and in odd positions compared to VAG I find.  

24 minutes ago, lol-lol said:

 

How tall are you then ?

 

At 6 foot 1 inch ie 1.85,m I hope I am not too tall.  Clio and Scenic are OK for me.   Buttons are on the small side which annoys me and in odd positions compared to VAG I find.  

I'm exactly 6 foot however I have a long body and short legs for my size. You'll have to go and sit in a Zoe and see what you think. 

 

3 minutes ago, greenstripe said:

I'm exactly 6 foot however I have a long body and short legs for my size. You'll have to go and sit in a Zoe and see what you think. 

 

 

Some Welsh Gene's in there ?

 

Worried if a go in to the show room I will come out with one.

 

Crazy thing is companies should be asking employees to swap their heavily taxed car allowance for a tax free EV company car.

Could probably have a model 3 long range that way !

Well picked up new Zoe Riviera this morning.

 

Car computer showed 236 miles range with 100% charge.

 

Drove 5 miles to home, range dropped to 231 miles but battery meter still shows 100%.

 

Will do the 15 miles I normally do on the motor bike and then see where we are on battery charge and then test my new granny cable ie the 10A 2.4 kWh cable.

 

First medium distance trip, Worcester to Oxford Airport and then back to Worcester a few hours later.

 

Round trip distance 106 miles. 

 

100% charged when started and 56% charged when got back to Worcester.   This would give the range as 241 miles.

 

Mostly driven in ECO mode which was fine.

 

Display showed 4.4 miles per KWh which would work out as 229 miles for all 52 kWh.

 

Chickened out and took the diesel Fabia to Heathrow today.

 

Figured out why the chargers at Heathrow office say 16 Amps but also say 11 kWs.    They are 3 phase chargers !

 

So should be good to get a good charge in only 3 or 4 hours if I was only down there for a morning or afternoon.  

 

Trip planned from Worcester to Reading service and back which is nearly exactly 200 miles so see how it goes.

 

Yes even the Zoe is put around the Ring, did quite well.

 

 

My first public charge and it was a great experience.

 

A super pleasant country cafe/deli/restaurant in Gloucestershire just off the A38, parallel to the M5.

They had two Rolec 11 kw charger, neither being used, purely for customers of course, but as they have fantastic food and drink, no problem.  Beautiful grounds and a very pleasant place to spend an hour or two filling up body and car. 

 

Zoe Riviera running fantastically, getting nearly 4.9 miles per Kw, mostly on Eco but occasional kick down releases the 135 hp and scoots it along to find so clear running.

Rolec charge points up where the two cars up left of the lake.

 

God it is difficult to get the average energy usage up to 5 miles per kWh   !!!

Hovering around 4.7 to 4.8 and at the moment do not think I can get up to 5 without a very cunning plan.

 

The worry has got to be with temperatures about to plunge it is more likely that the energy usage will the heading toward 4 rather than up to 5.

 

Tyres at 38/39 PSI, usually rise a degree or two when driving the A road, bet interesting to see if the go higher on a long motorway journey as I expect.

 

It will be fascinating to see if there is any improvement like with ICE cars ie do any EV components bed in, as the tread wears do the tyres absorb less energy and with a smaller rolling radius record more miles when actually do the same/less ?

 

 The colder weather and the EV achilles heal of less miles of range due to Lithium ion batteries giving less power in the cold and usually taking more juice through the colder air and powering other winter systems ie cabin and rear windscreen heater etc is a worry gnawing at my mind. Time will tell.

 

40 mph max on the right road of more downs than up might get you 5 miles per kWh  at mid teens celsius. 

Stuffed if the return trip needs the use of the same route.

 

http://renault.co.uk/electric-vehicles/zoe/battery.html

 

Edited 12 October, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

2 hours ago, e-Roottoot said:

40 mph max on the right road of more downs than up might get you 5 miles per kWh  at mid teens celsius. 

Stuffed if the return trip needs the use of the same route.

 

http://renault.co.uk/electric-vehicles/zoe/battery.html

 

 

40 mph, virtually no aero resistance I suppose.

 

I could do with those magic tyres that gave the zoe extra distance though I do not want to be limited to 40 and especially 20 mph which they did for the 475 miles on one charge but that is 9 miles per kwh, very impressive, but it did take a whole day.

 

The ENSO tyres on the test helped get about 10% more range than the standard tyres (Michelin Primacy ((e or just XL like mine ?)).

 

ENSO presenting at Blue Earth Summit tomorrow ie Wednesday 13th October 2021 at Bristol....  https://blueearthsummit.com/

 

But when will we able to buy them ???

 

 

 

 

Edited 12 October, 20214 yr by lol-lol

Something must give, like lack of grip / traction / friction and basically the vehicle being a ditch finder but maybe not quite as bad at 40mph.

 

I would rather be charging 50 miles sooner than driving something with crap braking because of crap tyres. 

7 hours ago, e-Roottoot said:

Something must give, like lack of grip / traction / friction and basically the vehicle being a ditch finder but maybe not quite as bad at 40mph.

 

I would rather be charging 50 miles sooner than driving something with crap braking because of crap tyres. 

 

It is finding the sweet spot.  Renault continue to put 36 psi for the front and 33 psi for the rear for the 16 inch tyres, no recommended inflation pressure if one was carrying 4 passengers and luggage oddly.  What is does say though is a slightly cavalier statement.......   "If the tyre pressures cannot be checked when the tyres are cold, increase the pressures from 0.2 to 0.3 bar (or 3 PSI)"

 

When they say cold they of course mean ambient.  Tyre could be warm because one has just come off a trip or parked in the sun and the tyres are at closer to body temperature ie 35C rather than ambient would is likely to be more like 15C.  Air with a bit of moisture in it acts as a semi-perfect gas so roughly each 10C fall or rise in temperature adds or subtracts a PSI.  Above 0.3 bar is 4.35 PSI so even Renault is a bit loose with their conversions, its only those English types who use that ancient measurement along with eels and the like.  Hence every where one looks Zoe owners tell each other to run nearly 40 PSI all around.  Yes I would not run the fronts far from the recommended ie where probably 2/3rds of the braking is done Zoe is already 60/40 front weight biased even without braking weight transfer.  40 PSI in the back gives the car an even more rigid in not slightly more hard ride but not really harsh.  I am already starting to leave stuff in the boot ie both charge cables granny and 22 kw AC cable, God that is a thick jobby.  I presume other cars that can only charge AC at 7 or 11 kw could run with a thinner and lighter cable as the 22 kw Zoe one is heavyish.

 

 

Edited 13 October, 20214 yr by lol-lol

These ranges showing for EV's really are pretty pointless if they are just a driver and some stuff in the car but anyone getting one will be driving them with a passenger or 2 or 3 or even 4 in a car.

Especially with the bigger family cars. 

With Small cars the difference between one in the car or 2 people can really be noticeable on range / kWh usage.

 

I think Byorn Nyland has done great work and empty banana box tests are useful and the runs done at different speeds.

Really though if he had from the off been putting an extra 300 kg weight in each vehicle and himself that would be of a help to drivers that want a family car for taking a family in, 

or goods like boxes with actual stuff in them. 

 

The tyre pressure settings are very important but not something he appears to bother about in reviews or the tables.

In the Opel e-Corsa he drives in ECO and that IME is not the way to get the best range even with CC on driving dual carriageways. 

As for ECO and people in the car, they would end up needing to open windows to get air, and in the cold weather dressing up warmly.

Hats and Gloves on. 

 

Here you can see the Tyre Pressure during the test.   2.5bar / 36psi.

hVac off!   

 Well that is OK in a car on your own maybe. 

If not putting in 4 heavy weights in the car maybe just put 2 big damp dogs in on a wet day rather than people and see how that is trying to stop the car steaming up.

 

What a palaver with the 1,000 k / 621 mile challenge.

Imagine that with people or animals in the car with you, condensation, freezing, eating.drinking and the cost of this compared to just driving an ice vehicle 

and maybe having to stop for fuel once and maybe toilet / stretching breaks.

When you get to your destination you need the car on a charger and dry out the interior.

Windows cracked open a bit so Wind deflectors are a good thing otherwise the next morning you start off with a damp interior.

(not the idea vehicle for friends going Ski-ing / Snowboarding in Scotland.)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 13 October, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

4 hours ago, e-Roottoot said:

These ranges showing for EV's really are pretty pointless if they are just a driver and some stuff in the car but anyone getting one will be driving them with a passenger or 2 or 3 or even 4 in a car.

Especially with the bigger family cars. 

With Small cars the difference between one in the car or 2 people can really be noticeable on range / kWh usage.

 

I think Byorn Nyland has done great work and empty banana box tests are useful and the runs done at different speeds.

Really though if he had from the off been putting an extra 300 kg weight in each vehicle and himself that would be of a help to drivers that want a family car for taking a family in, 

or goods like boxes with actual stuff in them. 

 

The tyre pressure settings are very important but not something he appears to bother about in reviews or the tables.

In the Opel e-Corsa he drives in ECO and that IME is not the way to get the best range even with CC on driving dual carriageways. 

As for ECO and people in the car, they would end up needing to open windows to get air, and in the cold weather dressing up warmly.

Hats and Gloves on. 

 

Here you can see the Tyre Pressure during the test.   2.5bar / 36psi.

hVac off!   

 Well that is OK in a car on your own maybe. 

If not putting in 4 heavy weights in the car maybe just put 2 big damp dogs in on a wet day rather than people and see how that is trying to stop the car steaming up.

 

What a palaver with the 1,000 k / 621 mile challenge.

Imagine that with people or animals in the car with you, condensation, freezing, eating.drinking and the cost of this compared to just driving an ice vehicle 

and maybe having to stop for fuel once and maybe toilet / stretching breaks.

When you get to your destination you need the car on a charger and dry out the interior.

Windows cracked open a bit so Wind deflectors are a good thing otherwise the next morning you start off with a damp interior.

(not the idea vehicle for friends going Ski-ing / Snowboarding in Scotland.)

 

 

 

 

 

What is spooky is the low amounts of load ie Corsa-e .....

 

Dimensions and Weight

Length	4060 mm
Width	1765 mm
Width with mirrors	No Data
Height	1435 mm
Wheelbase	2538 mm
Weight Unladen (EU)	1530 kg
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVWR)	1920 kg
Max. Payload	465 kg

Cargo Volume	309 L
Cargo Volume Max	1118 L
Cargo Volume Frunk	No Data
Roof Load	0 kg
Tow Hitch Possible	No Data
Towing Weight Unbraked	0 kg
Towing Weight Braked	0 kg
Vertical Load Max	No Data

Zoe....

 

Dimensions and Weight

Length	4087 mm
Width	1787 mm
Width with mirrors	No Data
Height	1562 mm
Wheelbase	2588 mm
Weight Unladen (EU)	1577 kg
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVWR)	1988 kg
Max. Payload	486 kg

Cargo Volume	338 L
Cargo Volume Max	1225 L
Cargo Volume Frunk	No Data
Roof Load	0 kg
Tow Hitch Possible	No Data
Towing Weight Unbraked	0 kg
Towing Weight Braked	0 kg
Vertical Load Max	No Data

I have to watch the vids a few times and very closely along with his words, like when he was talking about using ECO in the Corsa.

My experience of the PSA so now Stellantis is not to assume the same batteries and same motors so you know the usable battery.

Different software and different management. 

Limited thermal comfort can be horrible as all the windows steam up and especially the windsrcreen and as fast as you get the fan turned up your vision is limited. 

Choosing ECO and then setting the cabin to 21*oC is certainly not good for range id the weather is lots cooler than 21 or higher than it.

 

 

 

 

Edited 13 October, 20214 yr by e-Roottoot

 

Thermal comfort, what terminology !

 

One Zoe report said that in ECO mode one had to wind the temperature control up up HI so it would just about give enough heat to be bearable.

 

Hopefully going to be bearable most of the time in the English temperate weather conditions we have 99% of the time.

 

Thinking of winding the clock back and going for the flack jacket styling as I think that as long as I keep the torso warm I will be fine, arms I do not mind being cooler as in true Miami vice tradition I usually have my sleeves rolled back to my elbows even on sweatshirts if it is over 10C.

 

 

or....

 

 

OMG, the eighties.

A reviewer that does not suck in the Media Pack Manual / fibs.

 

 

 

Good stuff.

 

 

 

6 hours ago, roottoot said:

Good stuff.

 

Good report and very balanced and spot on.

 

Range is just so impressive on the Zoe.  Driving around now in the 8C it is here in the Midlands in the last couple of days, zooming around at 55/60 mph I have been from Worcester to Oxford, driving around there and doing over 110 miles and I arrive back in Worcester still with 50% of charge left so I am having an absolute range of around 220 miles in this winter/spring period and I expect that to return to 240 miles when the temperature warms up by 5 or 10 C.

 

It is a worry after Renault's decision to change the head airbag system for the ZE50 from the ZE40.

My Riviera model has Emergency Automatic Braking, Lane Departure and Blind Spot alerting which the the tested Play model does not have have and I sit with the seat full back with my head level with the B pillar rather than level with side window so I do think I would suffer the same head trauma but we would all like Renault to do a retrospective fix on the head airbags.   

 

Comfortable, fairly quick, actually low 8s to 60.  Probably only spent around £25 to charge for the near 3k miles I have done.  Super please just wish we could use the TESLA chargers in the UK as the non TESLA network is still pretty poor and sounds like it is going to be many months or a couple of years before being good enough to think about long distances without a care.