Renault Twizy

The Twizy debuted as a concept car at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and was designed by Françoise Leboinne and Luciano Bove. In November 2010, Nissan announced a rebadged variant to the Twizy, called the New Mobility Concept, or NMC. It was also displayed as a concept with Renault Samsung badging at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show, although it was branded as a Renault in South Korea for production. In May 2011, Renault announced they would produce the Twizy and began taking reservations.

In March 2012, the Twizy was released to the French market, followed a month later by several other European countries. Available in three models, the Twizy sales price does not include the battery pack, which is leased for a monthly fee that includes roadside assistance and a battery replacement guarantee. In 2020, the Twizy became available as a direct purchase in the UK, no longer requiring the battery rental.

The Twizy was the top-selling plug-in electric vehicle in Europe during 2012. The milestone of 15,000 Twizys sold worldwide was achieved in April 2015. Global cumulative sales totaled 29,118 units through December 2019, with Europe as its main market.

Specifications

Construction and safety

The Twizy is an ultra-compact vehicle, with a length of 2.32 metres (7 ft 7 in), a width of 1.19 metres (3 ft 11 in) and a height of 1.46 metres (4 ft 9 in).

The vehicle's frame and body offer occupants extra protection with its deformable structure, while the outboard position of the four wheels and the lateral beams located either side of the chassis provide protection in case of a side impact. The safety retention systems include a driver's airbag, a four-point safety belt at the front and a three-point one at the rear.

The Twizy may be winterized with winter tires and adding flexi side windows to enclose the cabin. Heating would be provided by plugging in electric blankets to keep the driver warm.

Models

The Twizy model is all-electric, part of Renault's Zero Emissions program.

Twizy Urban

Twizy Urban 45

The Twizy range starts with the light quadricycle-classed Urban 45 that was originally priced at €6,990 in Europe with a monthly battery lease charge of €50. The price has since been raised to around €10,300 exc. VAT but now includes the battery. It has a motor power of 4 kW (5.4 PS), a maximum speed of 45 km/h (28 mph) and can thus be driven in most European countries by drivers from 14 years old with a special driving licence (France, Italy, Spain) or with a moped licence (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Finland, Slovenia).

Twizy Urban 80

The heavy quadricycle-classed Urban 80 model features a 13 kW (17.7 PS) electric motor and can drive up to 80 km/h (50 mph).

Twizy Colour and Technic

The Colour model is a colourful and 'fun' Twizy available for both the 45 and 80 trims.

The Technic model brings additional design elements while sharing the technical features with the Urban. It is available for both the 45 and 80 trims.

Twizy Cargo

In June 2013, Renault announced the introduction of the Twizy Cargo, a model designed for hauling goods. The space destined for the seat of the second passenger was replaced with a cargo box with a volume of 180 L (6.4 cu ft) and maximum weight capacity of 75 kg (165 lb).

The Cargo 45 has 4 kW (5.4 PS) of power and top speed is limited to 45 km/h (28 mph).The car only has one seat and there is a larger space behind the driver to store goods.

The Cargo 80 delivers a top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph).

Nissan NMC

A rebadged version of the Twizy was launched in Japan as the Nissan New Mobility Concept (NMC). The electric vehicle was deployed in Yokohama on 11 October 2013 for service on a one-way carsharing program called "Choimobi Yokohama" (Choimobi means "easy mobility" in Japanese). During its first month on the market, over 2700 customers signed up for the service. A total of 45 units were registered through the end of October 2013. The NMC is classified as a kei car due to the car's dimensions and as such is equipped with yellow license plates.

The Nissan-badged version was also used by Scoot, an American scooter sharing company, as a pilot for car-sharing operation in San Francisco.

Twizy F1

Following the footsteps of Renault Espace F1, in April 2013, Renault Sport exhibited the Twizy F1, a concept version of the car that featured Formula One technologies such as KERS. The KERS system and an upgraded electric motor boosted the car's power to 72 kW (97.9 PS), allowing to accelerate at comparable times with the Renault Sport Mégane R.S. 265 and reaching speeds up to 109 km/h (68 mph). The car is equipped with various open-wheel aerodynamic and other racing parts, including tyres from a Formula Renault 2.0 car and steering wheel from a Formula Renault 3.5 car.

Twizy Delivery Concept

The Twizy Delivery Concept was developed from the VELUD project with École d'ingénieurs généralistes La Rochelle, Airparif, La Petite Reine Groupe Stars Service and the City of Paris for last-mile deliveries beginning in 2014. It consisted of a Twizy with shortened rear bodywork and an additional 2-wheeled trailer-like module for carrying containers sizing up to 1 cubic metre (35 cu ft), forming a six-wheeled box-truck like vehicle. It was used in experimental test phases in Paris.

Battery

The 6.1 kWh (22 MJ) lithium-ion battery is located underneath the front seat. Both motor variants carry the same weight of 474 kg (1,045 lb), including batteries of 100 kg (220 lb). The range is homologated at 100 km (62 mi). In real conditions, Renault announces around 80 km (50 mi). At high speed and no eco-driving the Twizy's range is about 50 km (31 mi).

The battery can be charged with an extendable spiral cable stored beneath a flap at the front of the vehicle. The integrated charger is compatible with roadside battery charging facilities as well as the standard 220-240 V 10 A household electrical supply. Charging an empty battery takes around three-and-a-half hours.

A planned Renault battery plant near Paris was delayed due to technical constraints. Construction will start in the second quarter of 2012 and production of batteries is expected to begin in 2014 or 2015. In the meantime Renault intends to buy batteries for its EV range from a joint venture between Nissan and NEC as well as LG Chem of South Korea.

Twizy is only supplied with LG Chem modules. Batteries are assembled in Renault Valladolid plant.