Renault Twizy

[Lebowski]

They 80kmh Twizy is rated for 20 kW but, as we know, 2 or 3 times that much should be possible
(from the motor point of view) for short periods.

I'm starting to wonder, it would be a very cool project to get one and rip out all the electronics
untill you're left with only the 3 motor terminals. Then put in a high voltage battery
and try to build a 40 to 60 kW controller. 60 kW on a 450 kg (1000 pound) vehicle should
make for cool accelleration and burn-outs

[o00scorpion00o]

They 80kmh Twizy is rated for 20 kW but, as we know, 2 or 3 times that much should be possible
(from the motor point of view) for short periods.

I'm starting to wonder, it would be a very cool project to get one and rip out all the electronics
untill you're left with only the 3 motor terminals. Then put in a high voltage battery
and try to build a 40 to 60 kW controller. 60 kW on a 450 kg (1000 pound) vehicle should
make for cool accelleration and burn-outs

It would be a very expensive project!

Then there is the issue of range under 2 or 3 times the power, but yeah it would be rather fun!

[Matthijs]

I found this rather interesting information: http://ir.sevcon.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=659327

http://www.sevcon.com/ac-controllers/gen4%E2%84%A2.aspx

SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass., March 26, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sevcon, Inc. (Nasdaq:SEV) today announced its selection by Renault to supply Gen4 controls for Renault's newly introduced Twizy two-seater, electric city car. Currently on sale and shipping to customers in Europe, the Twizy combines the comfort and safety amenities of an automobile — four wheels, disc brakes, seat belts and front airbag — with nimble urban handling and parking and a range of 100km (60 miles) on a single 3.5 hour battery charge.
Renault is offering the Twizy in two versions, with top speeds of 28 and 50 miles per hour powered by Sevcon Gen4 Size 2 and Size 4 motor controllers, respectively. These microprocessor-based devices regulate power delivery from the Twizy's lithium-ion battery to the motor, controlling acceleration, speed and regenerative braking while optimizing energy consumption.  
"Renault's selection of our Gen4 controllers for the Twizy is a significant milestone for Sevcon as we continue to execute on our strategy to supplement sales to our customers in the industrial vehicle segment by capitalizing on opportunities in the on-road electric vehicle sector," said Sevcon President and CEO Matt Boyle. "We are proud to add Renault to our portfolio of global automotive OEM relationships and pleased with the progress we have made this month in ramping Gen4 controller production and shipments to support the Twizy launch."

If I would buy one should it be possible to get it up to 62 mph instead of 50 mph just for the freeway and passing trucks?

[Joseph C.]

If I would buy one should it be possible to get it up to 62 mph instead of 50 mph just for the freeway and passing trucks?

Those are the controllers that even experts have difficulty adjusting the settings?

[Matthijs]

Arcording to this article the Twizy is equiped with the 48 volt version of the Sevcon gen4 size 4.
http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2012/03/26/twizy-driven-by-north-east-controllers/

It can handle 69.6 V at 780 A = 54,5 kW (If it's the G4865) I need to find out what is in there.

That should be fun to drive. But I think the Sevcon will be password protected and after that from the stories I read here it will be a pain to setup.

[Lebowski]

It sould be a fun project to get a Twizy, rip out the Sevcon and design something better myself

[o00scorpion00o]

It sould be a fun project to get a Twizy, rip out the Sevcon and design something better myself

Yeah, just imagine the cost of that ? Your warranty would be void for sure. I wonder will anyone be able to sell one without the battery ?

Does anyone know what ah and voltage the Twizy battery is ?

I would love to take a spin in one. I really wish it had full doors and maybe a gas heater for winter if you really wanted the heat as an option. It would appeal to a lot more people!

I wonder why Renault are not going to sell E.V's in North America ?

[Matthijs]

I will drive one on April 20. I hope to find out more about the batterypack and controller. I read from the Renault website that the batterylease is mandatory for at least one year and if it is sold to the next owner they should take over the lease. But I will find out soon. I was thinking about adding heated seats for colder days and hopefully an aftermarket window with small portion going into to doorbeam. But that is all far away. In Holland with petrol at almost €1,90 per liter and the twizy being so cheap to run and maybe finance it will be cheaper per month then almost every other car on the road. But at least 55 mph for the freeway would be nice.

[o00scorpion00o]

Thanks for the pics Matthijs.

I think people need to move away from the idea of 1 person to a car. I think twizy has a lot of potential for Europe's narrow streets.

The 50 mph limit wouldn't be a problem for me as all my local roads are 50 kph limited. The motorway is 120kph but I don't think the twizy should be allowed on a motorway!

[Lessss]

Twizzy is 2 person

[sk8norcal]

[Matthijs]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fCTufq49qQ&sns=em

Saver than a scooter..

[o00scorpion00o]

HE SAYS 12 HOURS TO CHARGE IN THE U.K WTF ? WRONG!!!

What kind of idiot is he ? please forgive me if I heard this wrong, but at around 5:20 he says it takes 12 hours to charge in the U.K, well the U.K and all of Europe has 220 volts means Twizy charges in 3 hours!

He should have researched this!

[knoxie]

What a great Little car

Only just read about this little car yesterday, wow! what a fantastic little unit this is, the price and style are killer IMHO, it beats the pants off the Gwhiz even without the doors, there are 2 versions, the lower power one kids can drive without a licence, although the car is speed limited to 28mph, they will still need insurance which will be the killer for most kids, at first here in the UK Renault said that they were not going to import the slower version because currently our laws (UK) don't allow 16 years olds to drive them however they are looking at changing this from next year, that brings a whole new sport to ebikers!! racing Twizys! ha ha.

I really like this little car, in time I am sure that the battery lease thing will be dropped as 3rd party suppliers start making packs for them, whilst I couldn't justify buying one having a wife and 2 kids I am sure that there are city folks that never liked the idea of a moped, hated the charges associated with cars (particularly the high cost of fuel and congestion charges here in London) that are going to jump at the chance.

I am a little concerned with the security side of the car though, without doors it's an open invitation for folks to get in the car and mess about, there isn't much they can fiddle with but folks will for sure, the charging time at only 3 hours is very respectable and as more charging bays start coming on line I can see them really taking off.

Hats off to Renault, it is a bold step indeed! this is one of those cars I still cant quite believe that they have made? as very often cool looking prototypes never go in to production. in a few years time you could pick one of these up for 3K or so, that's pretty amazing for an electric car.

Here in the UK our government has an incentive scheme whereby they will give you 5K off the price of an electric car, they don't class this as an electric car though? they class it as a quad? I don't understand the distinction here. it has 4 wheels? a steering wheel? you sit in it and it has peddles for the throttle and brake? at what point is this not a car? if it was classed as a car it would drop the price down to 2K new! you can be damn sure the insurance companies will treat it as a car when a 16 year old comes to insure one!

I am looking forward to seeing many of these things on the road in the UK.

[o00scorpion00o]

Yep I like it too,

Though for me my bike offers the best alternative, I would love to know the cost of insurance. I might ring the insurance company later today or tomorrow for the laugh. I bet it will cost somewhere around 400 Euro's!

I'm sure full doors will be an option at a later time, And gas heater would be cool, a small tank is all you would need for the times you really do need heat, then you won't be tempted to use it all the time as you would if it were electric.

I really hope they sell well, I would love to see people change to alternative forms of transport, so many cars with just one person is madness!

[Hillhater]

....there are 2 versions, the lower power one kids can drive without a licence, although the car is speed limited to 28mph, they will still need insurance which will be the killer for most kids,...

Actually i think .."the killer for most kids".... would be allowing then on to the roads in any vehicle without a licience .(provisional / training).
It is madness to think that any 16/17yr old is responsible enough to be in control of a vehicle on public roads without effective training and assessment.
Its not just the speed that kills, its the lack of "responsibility" that youth is endowed with.

[Matthijs]

Delivery is "greener" as well because a bunch of them just fit in a truck:

[knoxie]

....there are 2 versions, the lower power one kids can drive without a licence, although the car is speed limited to 28mph, they will still need insurance which will be the killer for most kids,...

Actually i think .."the killer for most kids".... would be allowing then on to the roads in any vehicle without a licience .(provisional / training).
It is madness to think that any 16/17yr old is responsible enough to be in control of a vehicle on public roads without effective training and assessment.
Its not just the speed that kills, its the lack of "responsibility" that youth is endowed with.

From what I can tell at least here in the UK if they do go ahead with it they will still have to take the CBT which is a test that kids have to take before they are allowed out on mopeds, for me I cant see too many taking one up as they only have to wait a year more and they can get a normal car, if your going to pay insurance you might as well have a proper car. For adults with full no claims bonus it looks like they are going to be classed in insurance group 1 which is the lowest cost group for a car and you wont have to pay road tax which helps.

I can see them being really popular especially in London, the Gwhiz has been quite a success however this is a much cooler looking option and there looks like there might be a bit of scope for some performance upgrades! ha ha, will see if Jozzer gets his hands on one! pretty sure he may do

Neat photos of them in the back of that truck too!! I tell you I would happily use one of these little cars, the more I see of them the more that I like them and to be honest I am pretty sure I would get less looks from folks than I do when I ride my KMX on the road.

[Lebowski]

about being used by youth, maybe they're clasified as 'quads' with a roof, not as cars ?

anyway, I would love to have a Twizy, main issue is not the price but that
I've no room left in my garage (with the 4 bicycles & 3 motorcycles it's
basically full...). I would need to trade in my 2011 R1200R to make room
but I'm not willing to do that, maybe in a few years time.

[Matthijs]

Today I drove the Twizy for an hour! At around 10 c it is doable but I needed thicker clothing and thin gloves. The ride is pretty hard but it feels one with the road. At the limit you just get easy correctable understeer. It is just a blast to drive! One little thing I noticed was the cabin is too wide to put your arm outside the window.

I have to say overall I get the impression that the Twizy could be sold for a lot less. The materials used are just not really convincing. At topspeed you really miss that side window and you just want to go that littlebit faster. I just smiled the whole way in the Twizy but after one hour you start to wish a little more comfort and I noticed in the city you are taking in quite a bit off exhaust fumes. I took picture of the Sevcon but could not find out which one it was. The sales lady could not tell me more about it.

One almost dealbreaker. You NEED to rent the battery for the LIFETIME of the vehicle!! Even when the batteries get a lot cheaper you still pay premium. Service is only €50 per year. So no tweaking or tuning a Twizy. Really sad.

[o00scorpion00o]

Nice!

Surely you can sell Twizzy and throw the battery back at Renault if you want ? Surely another owner can buy it 2nd hand without having to buy Renault's battery ? That would piss me off!

You either own it or not!

I still can't understand why they didn't have full doors as an option. It would mean less wind. I'm sure they will offer that in a while. Having said that Being out on my bike the last few days, once wrapped up it's not so bad. I can only imagine it wouldn't be as bad in Twizy as the bike, you get full blast of the elements on the Bike!

[Matthijs]

Nice!

Surely you can sell Twizzy and throw the battery back at Renault if you want ? Surely another owner can buy it 2nd hand without having to buy Renault's battery ? That would piss me off!

You either own it or not!

No can't do. The twizy is connected to Renault and the battery hire for the lifetime of the vehicle! Also acros all the owners! When I started about a little more speed etc and my own pack you could see her face turn a bit pale and she came up with regulations, type approval, insurence coverage etc. to seriously talk you out of it and to make really clear that you always rent the battery from them. You can only stop payment if you temporarly dismiss it. Really a bummer because if you own it for 10 years you almost pay a second Twizy.

[Lebowski]

Nice!

Surely you can sell Twizzy and throw the battery back at Renault if you want ? Surely another owner can buy it 2nd hand without having to buy Renault's battery ? That would piss me off!

You either own it or not!

I still can't understand why they didn't have full doors as an option. It would mean less wind. I'm sure they will offer that in a while. Having said that Being out on my bike the last few days, once wrapped up it's not so bad. I can only imagine it wouldn't be as bad in Twizy as the bike, you get full blast of the elements on the Bike!

Full doors means you need a ventilation system with a fan etc etc...

[Matthijs]

Full doors means you need a ventilation system with a fan etc etc...

Well not quite because the Twizy is very open anyway. It doesn't have any seals so ventilation enough. It has a heated front window.

[o00scorpion00o]

I still can't understand how you can buy twizy, you legally own it, but you can't install your own battery ? I don't understand how they can legally do this ?

So when Twizy is 3 years old they will still charge you 50 euro's a month for only 4600 miles a year. That's not a lot of miles really ?