The free Single Wall-box, supplied and installed by Renault’s preferred electric vehicle charging partner, British Gas, is available both to new customers, as well as those who’ve already pre-ordered a ZOE.

This offer makes the most of the recently announced 75 percent support on domestic Wall-box installations as part of the government’s £37m grant funding to increase take up of electric vehicles, with Renault contributing the remaining 25 percent.

The offer will save a typical customer up to £500 and will contribute to make the electric Renault even more affordable and easy to run.

Customers already save up to £5,000 on the price of their electric car from the government’s Plug-In Grant.  In the ZOE case, this brings the car’s UK on-the-road price (£13,650 to £14,750 depending on trim level) down to an equivalent diesel supermini and becomes another incentive to make the switch to electric.

British Gas will install a 32 amp (7 kilowatt) ZE ready Single Wall-box with all new and pre-ordered purchases, and have it fully operational ready for owners well in advance of charging their pure electric ZOE at home for the first time.

Renault said the process will be seamless. When customers place an order for a ZOE, British Gas will be informed straight away. They will then simply contact customers to arrange a convenient time for a home survey and installation, approximately one month before delivery of their car.

Renault believes that around 90 percent of charging will take place at home, with ZOE’s battery able to be charged from completely flat to fully charged in just three and a half hours with the Single Wall-box.

As an added ‘green’ bonus, the ‘data-enabled type 2 Wall-box also allows customers to see how much energy the car is using and the comparable emissions savings they are making via an  online app.

The ZOE can also be fast charged to 80 percent of its capacity in just 30 minutes using public Rapid-Charger 43 kilowatt power sources.

The Single Wall-box can be installed at any UK residential address with a GPRS signal, and has an attached lead, meaning that drivers don’t have to delve into the trunk at night to find the cable to plug in.

Also included in the package is free access to the public charging network across the UK.

Commenting on its latest initiative, Renault UK’s Andy Heiron, Head of Electric Vehicle Programme,  said “we’ve been delighted  with  the level of interest the British public have already shown in ZOE, recognizing the major steps forward it makes in electric vehicle technology. Adding a free Wall-box to its chic styling and tempting pricing now makes it an even more irresistible proposition.“

The ZOE official NEDC range is 130 miles, with a real-world range of around 90 miles in temperate conditions or 60 in cold weather.

The post Get A Free Home Charger When Buying A Renault ZOE appeared first on HybridCars.com.

The company has done so with the opening of a new research center initially specializing in autonomous driving and connected cars.

The official opening of the Nissan Research Center Silicon Valley (NRC-SV) was held February 18. Nissan said this center will enhance Nissan’s global research capability through collaborative partnerships with companies and research institutions in this global technology hub.

The opening of NRC-SV is part of Nissan’s global strategy to expand and localize its R&D function in strategic markets. The new Silicon Valley research center will take responsibility for selected roles in collaboration with Nissan Research Center in Japan.

The initial projects that Nissan researchers will pursue include research on autonomous vehicles; research on connected vehicles that can tap into infrastructure and the Internet to maximize energy and time efficiency; and research in the area of Human Machine Interface to enhance the experience of autonomous and connected vehicles.

In addition, Nissan said planning and advanced development of connected vehicle services and the design of user interface systems will also be studied as a complementary field to the above disciplines.

“As we continue to expand our R&D capabilities throughout the world, we aggressively pursue our activities to create new values of mobility, by harnessing the latest information and communication technologies here in our new research center in Silicon Valley,” said Nissan Executive Vice President supervising Research and Development Mitsuhiko Yamashita.

In 2011, engineers from Nissan and its corporate strategic partner Renault opened an office in Mountain View. The teams will now continue their work in the larger Sunnyvale lab.

Nissan chose Dr. Maarten Sierhuis as research director to lead the NRC-SV. Sierhuis, a recognized expert in the field of artificial intelligence, will lead the new center’s efforts in the areas of autonomous driving and connected-vehicle systems.

According to Nissan, Sierhuis joins the company following a career in research and software engineering spanning 25 years, including time with NASA, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, NYNEX Science & Technology, IBM Corporation, and as a founder of startup Ejenta, as well as a visiting professor and fellow with the Interactive Intelligence group at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Sierhuis has a bachelor of science in Computer Science from The Hague University and a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence/Cognitive Science from the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

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According to Renault-Nissan, 2012 global sales of all zero-emission vehicles across the Alliance were 43,829 units. This is up 83.8 percent from 2011 as Nissan Leaf sales increased worldwide and Renault launched two more EVs.

Moreover, the Alliance said its worldwide zero-emission market share stood at 64 percent, excluding the Twizy, which is Renault’s two-seater urban commuter.

Since sales began in December 2010 to the end of 2012, the Alliance sold a total 67,723 zero-emission vehicles globally.

In 2012, Nissan sold 26,976 units globally of the Nissan Leaf, an increase of 22 percent from 2011.

Cumulative sales of Nissan Leaf reached 49,117 units since its launch in December 2010.

In 2012, Renault sold 16,853 zero-emission vehicles. Since the debut of the Kangoo Z.E. small van in October 2011, Renault has sold a total of 18,606 zero-emission vehicles.

In addition to the Kangoo Z.E. and the Twizy, Renault also sells the Fluence Z.E., an all-electric sedan, based on the conventional Fluence sedan, and the subcompact zero-emission ZOE.

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Montebourg had ordered his ZOE EV at the Paris Motor Show in September 2012 and was presented this week with the keys to the first ZOE in the Cour d’Honneur of the Bercy Finance Ministry by Carlos Tavares, Chief Operating Officer of the Renault group.

The ZOE, the spearhead of Renault’s Z.E. range, is the Group’s first full-electric car.

In France, the widely affordable car qualifies for a €7,000 government environmental bonus, bringing the starting price in France down to €13,700 (including VAT).

Renault says the ZOE targets private buyers and business customers alike.

Renault believes this EV is ideal for daily journeys and says it embodies the company’s excellence in electric technology.

Per Renault, the mobility-enhancing model features the most advanced technology in terms of range, user friendliness (with the installation of a charging station at owners’ homes or workplaces) and connectivity. It is a key symbol of the Group’s commitment to the electric revolution.

Renault ZOE delivered by Carlos Tavares to Arnaud Montebourg

The Minister of Industrial Recovery is the first customer to take delivery of ZOE before mass launch across the Renault’s French network this coming spring 2013.

Commenting, Carlos Tavares, Chief Operating Officer of the Renault group, said: “The first ZOE delivery is a vital step in Renault’s electric vehicle offensive, aimed at making zero-emission mobility affordable for the greatest number. The commitment of the government and Mr Montebourg, as confirmed today, is a decisive advantage for making France a robust cornerstone of electric vehicle development and serves to reinforce Renault’s position as a French champion on the international stage.”

The launch will be accompanied by the widespread development of public and private charging stations with the support of a special task force tasked with stimulating and backing infrastructure projects in large urban agglomerations.

The move is part of the “Plan Automobile” announced by the French government on July 25, 2012 and providing for the installation of charging stations at government ministries and the inclusion of electric vehicles in public fleets.

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