| Make
|
Renault |
| Model |
DeZir |
| Concept
year |
2010 |
| Production
year |
- |
| Engine |
electric |
The Renault DeZir is an electric powered sports car concept
which was introduced to the world at the Paris Motor Show
in 2010.
Styling
The bold design represents an entirely new design direction
for Renault. In fact if it wasn't for the badge you'd
be hard pressed to tell what manufacturer it came from.
The styling of the DeZir concept was led by Laurens van
den Acker, and according to Renault it's the first in
a series of concept vehicles which will provide a glimpse
of the company's future production cars.
Renault's new motto is 'Drive the Change', and for the
DeZir concept this saying was used as a source of inspiration.
Renault have also chosen three key words which they are
going to try and build into all their forthcoming models,
they are 'simple', 'sensuous' and 'warm'. I get the sensuous
in the ReZir concept, it's got more curves than a sphere,
and with the red-hot paintwork I even get the warm. But
simple this car is not. There's a lot of complicated lines
and elements to the design, which come together nicely.
But it's not simple at all!
Drivetrain
Powering the Renault DeZir concept is a full electric
drivetrain. The 'Z' in the car's name is a reference to
Renault's overall naming structure - they use Z.E. to
denote their 'Zero Emission' vehicles. The electric motor
of the concept is mounted in a mid-rear position to balance
out the weight distribution. The batteries are located
behind the seats. This setup offers 147 horsepower (110
kW), and 226 Nm (166 lb-ft) of torque.
The car can be charged using a conventional mains plug,
and this takes around eight hours for a full charge. Alternatively
a dedicated fast-charger gets the job done in just 20
minutes. When the time comes to get a new battery, thanks
to Renault's 'Quick Drop' system the job is relatively
painless.
Top speed of the DeZir is just 112 mph. However the 0-60
mph time of just 5 seconds is considerably more impressive
- and useful.
Engineering
In order to improve performance and increase the DeZir's
overall range, Renault's engineers focused on keeping
the vehicles weight to a minimum. To achieve this goal
the car was equipped with a Kevlar body, and a tubular
steel frame borrowed from the Megane Trophy race car.
The vehicle's efficient aerodynamics and low-drag bodywork
also help to improve performance, without the need for
more power.
Interior
The striking interior layout of the Renault DeZir is clearly
split into the driver and passenger zones. The passenger
is met with a very clean and smooth dashboard - which
is a refreshing change to the overly complicated and increasingly
technical interior designs of modern vehicles. The driver
is seated in a much more focused environment, and the
unique dashboard layout and center console look very futuristic.
The touchscreen display in the center console features
an intelligent navigation system that combines journey
information with the driver's diary in order to optimize
task management and itineraries - probably not that useful
a feature for most people, but clever all the same! The
instrument panel features video-game inspired graphics
which provide information on the drivetrain systems and
energy management.
Similar and related vehicles:
Renault Wind
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