The Renault Group expects its new electric mobility venture, Mobilize, to account for a significant 30% of its total turnover by 2030 – and it has unveiled a raft of new products and initiatives aimed at cementing the brand as a leading name in the field of “everything beyond automotive”.
Mobilize will launch new charging stations, servicing programmes, unique zero-emission transport solutions and innovative vehicle remanufacturing programmes with a view to facilitating the mass shift away from traditional vehicle propulsion and ownership systems – and reducing the cost to the environment while doing so.
Spearheading the brand’s launch on the product side is the Duo, an urban EV in the mould of the pioneering Renault Twizy. The Duo has a compact footprint and tandem seating arrangement that allows three of them to park side by side in one regular parking space. It also features scissor doors to minimise the space needed in car parks.
The newly unveiled cabin is designed to be “intuitive for everybody” and, although spartan, is competitively equipped for the purposes of intensive use in busy environments. It includes a smartphone holder, USB-C charger and Bluetooth functionality, as well as overthe-air compatibility that can be used to update the operating system. For example, the speed can be capped in certain areas if limits are introduced.
Two Duo versions will be available, one limited to 28mph to comply with less stringent L6 quadricyle regulations and another capable of 50mph, which falls into the L7 category. Both are capable of an 87-mile range and gaining 56 miles of charge in three hours from a domestic charger.
Mobilize will reveal prices closer to the late-2023 arrival date (a UK launch is expected to follow a few months later) but electric mobilities deputy director Corinne Pakey told Autocar: “We want to be affordable but competitive – with a full package”, hinting at the potential for Mobilize to generate significant revenue through various platforms.
With a comprehensive refurbishment programme in place, Mobilize expects a usable lifespan in excess of 10 years for the Duo and says that on retirement, around 95% of the car’s components can be recycled.
As the name suggests, the Solo is a single-person EV designed for low-distance urban travel – cleverly packaged to offer manoeuvrability on a par with a conventional scooter but with improved safety and comfort.
Designer Patrick Lecharpy said the brief was all about “reducing the footprint on the road needed to allow one person to move around the city”. To which end, the Solo takes up far less space than even the Duo, weighs just 70-80kg and tops out at 16mph.
