RENAULT has cranked up the kilowatts on its all-electric grocery getter, gifting the tiny Zoe hatchback a dual-motor powertrain with a monstrous 340kW of total output.
Dubbed the Zoe e-Sport Concept, Renault says the compact three-door hatch can sprint to 100km/h in a supercar-shaming 3.2 seconds.
It’s a design study for now, but if it were a production car it’d be the world’s fastest hot hatch – and it’d claim that crown without burning a single drop of fuel. Give it a full ten seconds, and its speedo will crack a stonking 210km/h, its claimed top speed.
It looks the part too. Bulging bodywork encloses the Zoe e-Sport’s custom tube-frame chassis, widened track width and Formula E-derived mechanicals, and side vents feed air to its 40kWh battery pack. The blue and yellow paintjob is a homage to Renault’s e.dams Formula E team, and looks particularly fetching on the Zoe’s pumped-up bod.
Weight is a comparatively svelte 1400kg (EVs are notoriously heavy beasts), with 450kg being accounted for by that beefy battery pack. Composite bodywork helps keep the kilos down, as does its ultra-minimalist cockpit.
Handling hasn’t been ignored either. Fat race rubber is mounted to 20-inch centrelock rims, with adjustable race-spec Ohlins suspension at each corner. A flat floor and what appears to be a functional diffuser help keep it glued to the tarmac.
The sad news? Not only is the regular production Zoe not for the Australian market, but the red-hot Zoe e-Sport is likely to remain a concept for the foreseeable. That said, an all-new Zoe should be making its debut in coming years, and there’s still a chance that Renault may see fit to inject the next-generation version of its pint-sized eco-warrior with some serious steroids.
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