Renault Kwid EV/Dacia Spring Launched At Around Rs 15 Lakh In Europe

Renault’s smallest offering in India has an electric cousin in China that has now been launched in France as well

• The Kwid EV is known as Dacia Spring in Europe.

• It’s available in two variants for personal use.

• Offers an overall 230km certified range and a 305km city range.

• Prices in Indian currency range between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 16 lakh before government subsidies.

• Renault Kwid EV could come to India sometime in 2022.

The Dacia Spring has been launched in France at a price of 16,990 Euros (before government subsidy). Now why are we concerned with a car launch in Europe? Well, the Dacia Spring is essentially the Renault City K-ZE, a.k.a. the Renault Kwid EV, and it has us rather interested. Basically, Dacia is Renault’s sister brand and both companies rebadge each other’s products.

Coming to the headline numbers, the Dacia Spring has a WLTP (Worldwide harmonized Light-duty vehicles Test Procedure) certified overall range of 230km and WLTP city range of 305km. Electric cars require less overall charge to run in a city-like environment due to regenerative braking (it takes the energy lost when a vehicle is slowing down and puts it back in the batteries). All of this is courtesy a 27.4kWh battery pack that powers a 44PS electric motor for 125Nm of torque. 

In France, it is sold in two variants for the general public. The lower variant gets all the basic features, such as a manual AC, Bluetooth audio system, LED DRLs, and fabric upholstery. This is the version priced at 16,990 Euros or roughly around Rs 15 lakh.

Then, there is the Comfort Plus model that packs in a 7-inch touchscreen with smartphone connectivity, rear camera, and rear parking sensors. You also get the option to spec it with a 30kW socket to decrease charging times. Without any extras, this model is priced at 18,490 Euros, roughly translating to almost Rs 16 lakh.

Besides, there are multiple charging options for the Kwid EV. It takes 14 hours to go from 0 to 100 percent when using a 2.3kW charger; 8.5 hours with a 3.7kW charger, and 5 hours with a 7.4kW charger. With the 30kW DC fast charger, it takes around 1.5 hours for a full charge. 

The Kwid EV was initially headed for India by 2022 but isn't so anymore, at least anytime soon. Renault sees a lack of charging infrastructure in India as a big hurdle for its success.

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