The Renault DeZir Concept: the new vision of the future of electric cars

The Renault DeZir is a new approach to the taste of the French brand’s customers and a complete change of philosophy in how Renault intends to guide the design of its future cars from now on. On the customer side, Renault presents the LifeCycle concept. On the company side, starting with the DeZir, Renault will commit to individual design teams for each model.

With this model, Renault expresses a kind of continuity with the projects we previously saw from the Z.E. series, such as the Kangoo Z.E. and the Fluence Z.E. But now a touch of sportiness has been applied, along with an aluminium line and gull-wing doors. The sporty touch comes from its inspiration from certain prototypes and the absence of a rear window, combined with the technology of its two rear video cameras.

A particular feature of the DeZir Concept is that its doors open in different directions, whether the left one or the right one. In addition, the interior does not have two seats; instead, there is a single seat that the driver and the passenger will share, with a completely innovative shape compared with what we have seen so far. The dashboard, the very shape of the steering wheel and the gearshift control will also have that “ethereal” touch that the French love to apply to their cars. Suffice it to say that the gear selector will be illuminated in the shape of luminous petals, and the information shown on the instruments will be displayed in an almost fantasy-like way, with a considerable amount of graphic information.

Now let’s move on to the technical side. The DeZir is an electric car powered by a 24 kW/h motor, providing a range of 160 kilometres. The batteries will be specially ventilated by airflows coming from the front and the roof, something the very distinctive design of the DeZir has certainly studied in detail. The bodywork is made entirely of Kevlar, while the chassis is the very same one as that of the Mégane Trophy racing car. The DeZir is not only a beautiful concept but also functional, with proven aerodynamics and a drag coefficient of 0.25.

It includes a KERS system that uses stored energy to give the car a temporary burst of acceleration. Renault says the DeZir can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5 seconds and reach 50 km/h in two seconds. Let’s just say these are not figures that will break moulds, but they are very good for a concept. Its top speed is 180 km/h.

We will be able to see it in person at the next Paris Motor Show, and I imagine it will be one of the most instant attractions and most visited at the show. Simply spectacular, and I think it is among the best of the year in terms of design.

Source | Renault