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Renault demonstrates all-electric Megane in Israel

05/16/2008, 11:23 AM

By Drew Johnson

Nissan is planning to launch its first all-electric vehicle in 2010 in the U.S. and Japan, and the first evidence of this goal was displayed earlier this week. Nissan’s parent company — Renault — along with Silicon Valley startup Project Better Place demonstrated an all-electric Renault Megane in Tel Aviv last Sunday.

Both companies are hopeful that the electric sedan will be on the Israeli market by late 2010, with test fleets hitting Israel’s streets by next year.

The car’s electric motor provides a brisk 0-60 time of 8 seconds, with the batteries allowing for a 125 mile range.

When the car finally does hit the market, it is expected that there will be 150 ’swap stations’ located throughout the country. The swap stations — as the name implies — will allow motorists to trade in their run-down battery pack for a fully charged one. This would allow for trips longer than 125 miles. According to Haaretz, the battery swap should take just about as long as filling up a tank with fuel.

Buyers will also be able to charge the vehicles’ batteries at home.

If the project stays on track, the car should be available in late 2010 for about the same price as a gas-powered sedan.

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05/16, 10:22 AM

posted by:

archcommus

Same price as a gas-powered sedan with a 125 mile range? I would prefer this to something like the Volt then since I rarely drive more than 60 miles round trip. Would just have to keep another car handy for those longer rides.

05/16, 11:30 AM

posted by:

xyunya

Now I am sure that GM board should listen to Kerkorian when he advocated “marriage” with Renault. GM could get some cash and technology that they are spending billions now to come up with a car that will cost 2-3 times more then Megane and will not seat any more or accommodate any better. Yeah, I hear the screams that GM is working on new technology, but here is old technology that works well today and delivers 3 times range, without billions of questionable investment. Questionable, because GM has a history of bad starts and failures.

05/16, 11:42 AM

posted by:

gizmo2

Simplicity is the art of design. Our local boys never seam to understand this. They think the more complicated the system is the better it is, of course not, the higher the failure rate. Forget the complicated ICE and transmission hybrid system and just make a simple electric out of the Chevy Beat. the truth is that’s all most people really need on a daily basis. Of course we will still need gasoline powered vehicles for long trips and some other events. The battery swap idea is also very good, I always wonder why no one was trying that idea

05/16, 11:44 AM

posted by:

Stinky007

The funniest thing is that the 0-60 time in the electric version is faster that all but one version of the Megane, the 200bhp RS :) )

05/16, 12:04 PM

posted by:

LaCaLover

Is this so the Isrealis can attack the Palestinians in silence from their Renault Meganes?

05/16, 12:41 PM

posted by:

howsmydriving

Oi vey, have I got a Renault for you!

05/16, 1:42 PM

posted by:

DialM4Speed

^^^^ ROFL!!

But how is this better than a Volt? It doesn’t even have an engine to recharge the batteries. Who the **** wants to spend time changing batteries? All electric cars are things that give hippie douche a woody!

05/16, 5:33 PM

posted by:

tastyorange

Is this so the Isrealis can attack the Palestinians in silence from their Renault Meganes?

Yes… that is exactly their plan… to attack the peaceful… easy to live with Palestinians

05/16, 6:45 PM

posted by:

LaCaLover

Tastyorange, you too would be pissed if your homeland was given to the jews by the british 60 years ago

05/16, 9:21 PM

posted by:

autonut

Hey CaCaLover, you can take your land: it’s in the trunk of my car.

05/16, 9:25 PM

posted by:

autonut

Here is the irony: Ghosn the CEO of Renault-Nissan is Sunni Muslim from Lebanon. He could talk to Israelis better then to any Arab piece loving nation to demo the car and the concept.

05/16, 11:19 PM

posted by:

LaCaLover

autonut: you have California in the trunk of your car? My land is America, I am Irish American. I’m just anti Israeli foreign policy

05/16, 11:40 PM

posted by:

autonut

OK, have a drink. Have you heard of a McFaggot from San Francisco?

05/17, 4:54 AM

posted by:

Got Handling?

Perhaps the Israelis are interested in this just in case the Arab nations ever stood up for their Palestinian “brothers” and tried to do something about their horrific situation – Like refusing to sell oil to them (or anyone supplying them) for instance.
.
Tastyorange are you seriously trying to portray the Palestinians as the agressors in todays Israel / Palestine conflict? Look at the arms levels, look at the weapons technologies, look at the siege tactics, look at the comparative rates of civilian casualties and get real.

05/17, 2:12 PM

posted by:

autonut

Got Handling? read some history books if you to young to remember very recent history. Palestinians walked out of piece negotiations in 2000 hosted by Bill Clinton when Israelis accepted 98% of their demands
Nobody can call Bill Clinton a hawk or neoconservative, but he ended up being very frustrated with Yassir Arafat and whole PLO. When Arafat call to part after Cliinton term at White House and call Clinton “great man” Clinton replied: ” I am not a great man, Yassir, YOU made me very ordinary”.
And PLO is the “moderates” of Palestinian politics. The truth of the matter is that Israel has no partner or adversary to negotiate Palestinian statehood. PLO is corrupt and Palestinians hate it and Hammas is a basic terrorists organization funded by Iran, who admittedly not interested in piece but in destruction of Israel. Granted Palestinians know nothing of democracy, just like the rest of Arab world (please educate me which Arab country has democratically elected government). They are very poor and poor all over the world have the same attributes frustration, disrespect for human life and brought up on hate thievery and deceit (they practice all of the above on each other naturally). Their frustration they express in “Arab street” and want ot kill Israel, not being very good at fighting. But they are lobbying mortars and Iranian rockets into Israel trying to kill and injure civilians (including children) with disrespect for their own population: any retaliation can injure their own. If Israel responded like US, Britain or Germany during WWII the problem would be solved already, as you pointed they have the means of eradicating entire Palestinian nation. But they restrain themselves. Please let me know who would in their situation?

Arabs have been killing each other for centuries and there is only one thing that keeps them somewhat united: hate for Israel. If they would not be complete idiots they could destroy Israel and they tried in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973. There hundreds of millions of them against 7 million Israelis.

05/17, 6:13 PM

posted by:

olds307

I can’t wait to go pick one up at my local AMC Renault Jeep dealer.

05/17, 9:07 PM

posted by:

autonut

Thanks for memories olds, now I remember how Renault and Chrysler ended up in the same bed: AMC purchase.

05/18, 6:45 PM

posted by:

DeansterTJ

Oh my ****ing god, here we go with a forum war on the Palestinian issue. Guys, for ****s sake. Really, can this before it consumes the whole board.

05/19, 4:12 AM

posted by:

Got Handling?

Good call Tug Job

05/19, 7:34 AM

posted by:

JohnnyBlazE

Why the f*** can’t people type peace properly??

 
 
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