ZOE
Not just a normal day at the office for Sebastian Vettel recently as he took the Renault ZOE– the first electric car he has ever driven – for a spin. Saying the drive was “funny without any noise” and “so quiet”, Vettel clearly acknowledges that the electric car is the polar opposite from the deafening Formula One racing that he knows and loves. That said, the beaming smile on the champion’s face showed that he clearly enjoyed driving the ZOE.
Twizy
Renault also took the opportunity to experiment when they had the triple Formula One World Champion at Renault’s Z.E. (zero emissions) Centre in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. They placed an F1 KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems) module in the electric two-seater Twizy, and elements from a Formula 1 car – such as the steering wheel and slick tyres – were added to the Twizy model. The racer commented that it was “fun” to experience how powerful the KERS was in the Twizy.
The F1 additions are exciting, innovative and humorous in equal measure - and certainly a good way to grab audiences’ attention. KERS takes the Twizy’s output from 17 HP to 97 HP, even if it is only for 13 seconds at a time. This boost increases the Twizy’s top speed from 53 mph to 68 mph. This may not sound like a lot, but taking the size and lightweight frame into account, 68 mph speed is no doubt rather scary.
Why not take a look at our Renault Twizy and ZOE offers and you too can drive like Sebastian Vettel – sort of.