[Paul_Moxhay]

I am sad to see further delays to the launch of the Zoe. At the estimated price of just £17k plus battery lease this could change the way that the general public think of EVs. If it launches at that price no longer will the image of EVs be expensive toys for the well off (before you all shout at me, this is not my view but the view of much of the public and a lot of the media).

Are you considering to buy a Zoe?

Please post why and what you would be selling to get it? Would it be your only car?

 

[proddick]

The Zoe will start from £13,650 after grant - plus battery lease. Hopefully this will help it sell well in the UK...

 

[rossages]

The battery lease is a total scam IMHO. It effectively nets them 6k every 3 years which they receive up front as they use an intermediary (RCI) and has to transfer with the car when you sell, I can imagine this will hammer residual valued when reselling the vehicle. I hope this practice doesn't set a precedent. Bloody nice car though.

 

[Paul_Moxhay]

The battery lease is a total scam IMHO. It effectively nets them 6k every 3 years which they receive up front as they use an intermediary (RCI) and has to transfer with the car when you sell, I can imagine this will hammer residual valued when reselling the vehicle. I hope this practice doesn't set a precedent. Bloody nice car though.

You have an interesting take on battery leasing but I have to disagree.

The biggest problem with electric cars at the moment is the purchase price. Most people I talk to love the idea of electric cars but most agree that the high purchase price is the biggest barrier to take up at the moment... not range.

Battery lease allows for a much lower entry price and it allows for a purchase model they are used to. At the moment, you buy a car and then pay monthly for fuel. The cost of ownership isn't front-loaded as it is with an EV. The battery lease model is much more like the current purchase model and I think it will be very popular. People can buy the car and pay for their miles as they do them.

As for it being a conn... I have seen nothing that makes me think that. Why would a manufacturer lease batteries and make the whole purchase process much more complicated if there weren't huge benefits for the customer? Without the battery lease they get ALL of their money up front anyway so I see no financial benefit to the manufacturer for using a battery leasing model.

I believe battery lease may be the magic-bullet that brings EVs into the mainstream. People can imagine buying a £13,000 car and pay monthly for the battery what they already pay monthly for petrol... they can't imagine, or even afford, to pay £30,000 or more even if it does work out cheaper in the long run.

 

[proddick]

Another point to bear in mind is that a lot of people don't buy cars, they effectively rent them on a PCP for 3 or 4 years.

If Renault can be bold about residuals they should be able to offer some cracking PCPs for the Zoe - probably including all "servicing". The driver can then just looks at the total cost per month (including battery lease) and compares it with the costs of a similar ICE or Hybrid car.

 

[proddick]

I am intrigued what will happen at the end of the 3 year lease of the battery. Clearly they will last longer than that, so will most drivers be just offered to continue leasing the existing battery?

 

[proddick]

"The first production Zoe’s are rolling in October/November from the production line in the French city of Flins, side by side with the new Clio 4. There is an annual production capacity of 150,000 Zoe’s, so the ambitions are great for this new EV"

Wow, that's a lot of Zoes...

[Source: http://driving-dutchman.com/renault-zoe ... mpression/]

 

[dpeilow]

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/attachme ... 1347948495

 

[EV Rider]

I am sad to see further delays to the launch of the Zoe. At the estimated price of just £17k plus battery lease this could change the way that the general public think of EVs. If it launches at that price no longer will the image of EVs be expensive toys for the well off (before you all shout at me, this is not my view but the view of much of the public and a lot of the media).

Are you considering to buy a Zoe?

Please post why and what you would be selling to get it? Would it be your only car?

I considered and bought a Zoe 3 weeks ago now,trading in my former 4yo Panda to get it. Why..The NI Infrastructure is run by Ecar.NI who held EV roadshows to raise the profile of our year old charging network around the Province in March/April,one of which I was able to visit and get some hands on with a Zoe,a Twizy,a Leaf and an i3ReX..there was an Ampera there too,but the support team didn't seem to want to come out of it and share..I liked the Zoe,the Leaf was bigger than I needed,the I3 more than I could afford,and having owned an Ebike 7 years,I didn't even want to take the Twizy out into traffic! so..Zoe..and it's doing everything I want from a car with no hassle. The in car services could be more usable,and I'm still waiting on a Wallbox,but public charging is fine around here and I have a smartphone with charger finding apps,so I'm good..