Renault's sister brand, Dacia, has launched the Spring EV in France at 16,990 Euros (INR 14.72 lakh). The Dacia Spring EV is essentially a rebadged Renault Kwid with an all-electric powertrain. In fact, Renault had even showcased the Spring EV in India as the K-ZE at the 2020 Auto Expo. Dacia is offering the Spring EV in three variants in France - Standard, Business, and Cargo (with up to 1,100 litres of boot space).
Under the hood of the Dacia Spring EV, the ICE powertrain has been replaced by an all-electric motor and a battery pack. The electric motor is capable of producing 44hp of power and 125Nm of peak torque. It draws its power form a 27.4kWh battery pack. While the Spring EV does not boast of any class leading figures in terms of specifications, it can deliver a range of 305 km as per the WLTP cycle (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure), within city limits.
Also Read : 2021 Renault Triber Launched With Dual-Tone Colors & New Features
You can thus expect an average range of about 230 km. That's actually pretty decent for what is a small city runabout. The battery pack in the Spring EV is also capable of fast charging, going from 0-80% in under an hour using a 30kW DC fast charger. If you are using a 7.4kW home charger, it will take about five hours to charge the battery pack from 0 to 100%. To give you a perspective, the Tata Nexon EV takes around 8 hours to charge from 20-80% using a 15Amp charger cable.
In terms of design the Spring EV looks identical to the Renault Kwid. The only difference is the Dacia logo at the front and the rear and an unique grille that comes with it. The rear bumper also boasts of a faux silver skid plate and the alloy wheels are of a different design. The rest of the car is absolutely identical to the Kwid. There’s also a funkier variant (similar to the Kwid Climber), with orange elements on the doors, ORVMs, and the grille.
On the inside, again, the dashboard layout is mostly identical to that of the Kwid. However, it gets a new Dacia four-spoke steering wheel and a smaller 7-inch infotainment system. This being an EV, the center console has also been cleared up for more space and practicality. Previously, Renault had said that they would be launching an EV in India based on the Kwid's CMF-A platform by 2022. However, that plan is likely not materializing any time soon due to the lack of charging infrastructure.
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Renault updates and other four-wheeler news.
