Renault to unveil new electric car for Better Place

The Renault "Fluence", based on the Megane, will be exhibited at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

21 June 09 12:15, Dubi Ben-Gedalyahu

Renault SA (Euronext: RNO) will unveil the prototype electric car, at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, which will be manufactured for Better Place's electric vehicle infrastructure in Israel. The new electric vehicle, which will be called the "Fluence," is based on the new generation Renault "Megane" sedan.

The new Renault electric vehicle will be equipped with a battery located behind the back seat with an opening beneath the trunk for swift unloading. Renault's brand name for the recharging method will be "Quick-Drop." The car will be distinguished from other "Fluence" models by unique external design features, and will be launched in Israel in the second half of 2011.

At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Renault will unveil three different methods of recharging the electric vehicle. The first involves recharging using a regular 220 volt socket designed for the home with 10 or 16 amperes. This method will take six to eight hours to fully charge the battery.

The second option will be to recharge using a rapid 400 volt industrial charger with a three-phase 32 ampere socket. This type of charger will be located in factories, offices or changing stations and will be capable of recharging 80% of the battery within just 30 minutes.

The third method is the rapid exchange of batteries being planned by Better Place.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 21, 2009

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