Tiny Electric Car Pilot To Debut In Israeli Town

Sources informed Israeli website Globes’ that the first two models of the Renault two-seater Twizy electric car have arrived in Israel. The cars will participate in a trial for environmentally friendly urban transport in cooperation with the Kfar Saba Municipality.

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Renault Twizy

The Twizy is 2.32 meters long, carries two people, one behind the other, and has an electric motor with a rechargeable lithium battery. It weighs less than 450 kilograms. The basic model has a 5-horsepower engine and top speed of 45 kilometers an hour. In most European countries, people from the age of 16 can drive it without a driver’s license.

The stronger model has a 17-horsepower engine, can reach 80 km/h, and has a range of 100 kilometers between recharging. The car comes with a special cable for recharging from an ordinary socket, requiring 3.5 hours for a full charge.

The Twizy’s starting price in Europe is €7,000, plus €50 a month to lease the battery. The larger model costs €7,700, plus the battery lease payment. If these prices hold in Israel, where the purchase tax on electric cars is just 10 percent, the Twizy will cost NIS 50,000-60,000, including VAT. However, it is not known if Renault importer Carasso Motors Ltd. has decided whether to sell the car, or how.

Designed for inner-city travel

The Kfar Saba Municipality has been trying for years to introduce an environmentally friendly urban transport solution. In 2008, the municipality signed a contract to buy the electric mini-car with a subsidiary of Granite Hacarmel Investments Ltd., but nothing came of it. This was also one of the first municipalities to let Better Place Inc. build its battery recharging network for the Renault electric Fluence ZE.
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Via Globes
Photos from Renault.com