► Renault Zoe e-Sport unveiled
► Twin EV motors for 340kW
► Carbonfibre, 0-62mph in 3.2sec
How to pep up an electric supermini? Why, turn it into a rabid hot hatch in the vein of those petrol-munching pocket rockets, of course… Which explains the logic behind the new Renault Zoe e-Sport, unveiled at the 2017 Geneva motor show.
It might follow a well-trodden path to high performance, but it does so via very twenty-first century means.
With a pair of electric motors providing a 340kW kick – equivalent to 460bhp – this is one very fast EV. And those twin power sources mean it’s all-wheel drive for improved traction.
Go on then, how quick is the Renault Zoe e-Sport?
According to Renault, this tricked-up Zoe is capable of 0-62mph in just 3.2sec. And the electric twang doesn’t give up there: 130mph is passed in comfortably less than 10 seconds.
As well as beefier electrical innards, derived from Renault’s Formula E activities, the Zoe has been on a diet, of sorts.
To counter the 450kg 40kWh battery pack, this electric pocket rocket uses carbonfibre and kevlar extensively to keep total kerb weight to 1400kg.
Will the Zoe e-Sport handle like a Renaultsport? Or wallow like a roly-poly electric car?
Very much the former, Paris hopes. It’s fitted centre-lock 20-inch race wheels fitted with track-focused 245/35 tyres, the tuneable suspension has adjustable Ohlins dampers and much of the aero package is related to the airflow tricks deployed in Formula E.
So there’s a flat underside, race diffuser and a large carbonfibre spoiler to squash the Zoe into the tarmac.
Range anxiety?
Wannabe electric racers can set the car up for endurance stints, where more energy is harvested back into the battery, or outright performance – where maximum torque is deployed and all hell to range anxiety.
Perfect for blowing off challengers on a sprint event, if not for the long haul of a multi-hour race. We suspect the claimed 186-mile range may deplete rapidly if you keep your toe in…