Renault Testing Canadian Waters With Limited Kangoo EV Sales
Renault is testing the waters for a full return to the Canadian market via the limited introduction of its Kangoo Z.E. EV.
The announcement of Kangoo Z.E.’s arrival follows an announcement made last week regarding the Twizy city EV’s own introduction through partner Azra Network, La Press reports.
Once approved by Transport Canada, Renault will bring over up to 1,000 Kangoo Z.E. EVs for a two-year period per the terms of the compliance waiver. This move would give Renault an opportunity to see if it would be worth bringing its EV products in line with the Canadian and U.S. standards.
According to EV sales manager Vincent Square, it would four to five years for volume to be sufficient enough to merit building products specifically for the Canadian market, and hopes the waiver will be enough to put the automaker on the path back to a market vacated by the French automakers in 1991.
Should Renault’s two-pronged attack not pan out as hoped, however, the automaker plans to have an after-sales network for the EVs and their owners.
[Photo credit: Renault]
[H/T: Jonathan Roy/ Twitter]
Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.
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The Canadians are a little testy about anyone testing their waters lately. With both the Americans and the Russians poking around in it, sniffing the ocean floor for gas and oil, one can see Canada's point.
Skoda would be a slam-dunk in Canada, Renault, not a chance.
Thanks for that picture, best laugh I've had all week. Oh yeah, lets go out to the job site and find a place to plug in our EV! The only clichés they missed were a thermos of coffee, and plaid flannel shirts.
I wish that they would bring the original Bollore Bluecar (the "B0" Pininfarina-bodied beauty) to fruition. I believe it combined batteries and supercapacitors to make better use of regenerative braking; but the concept seems to have "vaporized" (unfortunately). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollor%C3%A9_Bluecar