Renault to offer ‘get you home’ guarantee for EVs

According to UK publication Autocar, Renault will deliver a replacement vehicle to stranded Renault EV drivers in Europe if their vehicle runs out of juice.

But think again before you set off on a road trip from Poland to Portugal expecting a new car every 100km.

Renault says the deal will only apply if the journey you were taking was realistic for the range of the vehicle, and the EV’s charge was drained because of unforeseen traffic jams or bad weather that would force the use of air-conditioning or the windscreen wipers.

Renault is yet to finalise the scheme, and is still to decide how many recoveries each driver will get per year.

Renault’s electric plans are as advanced as any manufacturer in the world, with the French brand to launch five electric vehicles by the end of 2014.

The electric Kangoo light commercial van will lead the way with its launch around the middle of this year. The exact timeframe is yet to be finalised, but the Fluence, Twizy and Zoe models will all be rolled out in Europe between the end of 2011 and the first half of 2013.

The two-seater Twizy is reportedly attracting the most interest.

It is expected to go on sale in France in December with prices starting from 6990 euros ($9980), as well as a 45-euro ($65) monthly battery lease payment.

The Twizy will be powered by a 15kW/80Nm electric motor and will have a range of 100km on a full charge.