Wapcar Automotive News – Following its release, Fluence Z.E. became the first known modern electric vehicle to adopt battery-swapping technology.
Unfortunately, the Renault Fluence ZE is no longer in production. It’s a stylish car that’s still a great choice for families and anyone who appreciates luxury and comfort. However, we can look forward to the Renault Fluence 2023.
When this car was first introduced in 2011, early buyers raved about its excellent looks, sleek styling and utility. However, there was a problem when Renault introduced a confusing battery rental program in which owners had to buy the car and rent the batteries separately. The Fluence ZE comes with a “QuickDrop” battery switching system. The idea is that owners can drive to a Quick Drop battery swap station and exchange their dead battery for a fully charged battery in less than two minutes instead of quickly charging the vehicle on longer trips.
The idea is so great that countries like Israel and Denmark have already implemented the QuickDrop infrastructure. Unfortunately, the company that owned the infrastructure ran out of money and went bankrupt, leaving Renault with a nice car but no fast-charging option.
After that, car sales slowed and in early 2014, Renault withdrew the Fluence ZE from the market. Sometimes there are auctions for used Fluence ZEs and they sell for good prices.
Let’s learn more about this vehicle and how it can have a huge impact on the electric vehicle market.
The Renault Fluence ZE is a sleek, conventional family sedan with an electric motor and battery instead of an engine and a gas tank.
If you compare it with the non-electric Fluence, the Fluence ZE is 130mm longer at 4748mm. The reason it’s longer is to allow 280kg lithium-ion batteries to fit behind the rear seats. Renault also changed the design of the front grille and rear bumper with a diffuser.
In addition, the car uses Goodyear tires with reduced rolling resistance and aero wheels.
You’ll feel at home inside Fluence if you like the interior of the Renault Mégane. That’s what to say; it has a sliding dashboard, leather trim and a comfortable driving position.
To help you see how efficiently you’re driving, have a battery gauge (scaled from 0 to 1) instead of a tachometer, and a small discharge/recharge dial instead of a meter. fuel gauge. It rotates to the right when you put your foot down and to the left when you take off to allow regenerative braking to replenish the battery.
Many controls are confusing because the focus is on form rather than function. Also, there’s no ability to adjust the reach of the steering wheel, and the battery takes up as much cargo space as you’d expect in a family car.
Oddly enough, for a most modern electric car, there’s no regular USB port to connect your iPod or charge your phone, and the satellite navigation screen looks pixelated compared to the screen of any phone. any recent mobile.
Fluence ZE is extremely delicate. It accelerates smoothly, overcomes imperfections, and decelerates evenly without jerking when you release the throttle.
The good news, however, ends there. While the steering is great for city driving, it gets unexpectedly heavy in bends and can twist hard in your hand as you accelerate.
The biggest problem with the car is its range. Renault cites a respectable range of about 115 miles. However, owners have complained that when the Fluence ZE is driven on a typical route (in very cold conditions), it can’t go more than 46 miles on a single charge. To make matters worse, the car has an annoying battery charge warning.
In addition, they expressed dissatisfaction that the vehicle’s 22kWh lithium-ion battery can lose up to 5% of its power when parked overnight.
While the Fluence ZE has a slick design, it still suffers from performance issues as well as battery and charging issues that keep many people away from it. But this is not the biggest failure of the Renault collection. There is another vehicle with worse problems than Fluence ZE. The Renault Kwid is one of the cheapest ways to get into a new car. The main causes were engine problems and lack of safety systems. Renault has managed to fix some problems, but you have to accept that an affordable car will have some flaws and concessions.
Another problem that most car owners or anyone who has experienced cars complains is the noise of the engine. These qualities are typical of large diesel-powered vehicles. But it’s not easy to accept a car the size of the Kwid.
As you start to push that big engine, the noise becomes more apparent. The Kwid’s engine is quite powerful for a car of its kind, but the level of fine tuning isn’t exactly record-setting.
The noise problem doesn’t end there. Kwid has a noisy cabin that picks up on all kinds of vibrations as it moves around town. Customers report hearing strange sounds when braking, feeling the engine vibrate, and in some cases, the entire vehicle shaking on rough roads.
