More or less discreetly, the electric Renault Kangoo has continued its path on the connected market for almost 20 years. Our reader Paul Bewell has just acquired a used copy which surprised him very pleasantly. He tells us why.
Living near Montauban, in Tarn-et-Garonne, Paul Bewell and his wife have just taken a radical turn towards electric mobility. And all this while wanting to replace their aging Dacia Sandero with a new copy of the same model.
” We remember from our Dacia Sandero the image of a very efficient all-purpose car. After 8 years, we wanted to replace it, because maintenance and repair costs were beginning to weigh. My wife and I therefore went to the Renault dealership in Montauban to buy a new one. “says Paul Bewell.
” On the spot, my wife had her eyes drawn by a Renault Zoé whose metallic blueberry purple color she liked. But it was worth double. The idea of using a car that does not pollute during use appealed to us, however. “, he continues. ” Taking into account the depreciation and the reduced cost of use of an electric model, the Zoé became more economical for us after 5 years. “, he calculated.
How to transport cement boards and bags?
” I am restoring a house. The Dacia Sandero was very practical for transporting boards on the roof and bags of cement in a trailer. No hitch possible or roof rack with the Zoe. And no question of dirtying with sand or other materials the well-finished trunk of my wife’s new car. “explains Paul Bewell.
” We have not regretted our purchase of an electric car. But I had to find another vehicle to continue my work. I didn’t want to go back to a thermal model now that we had tasted electric. It’s a change of mentality. When you understand how it works, there is no longer a problem “, he believes.
” What inexpensive electric car would allow me to tow a trailer? The Renault Kangoo ZE seemed like the right model to look for he reflects.
A first misstep
” I first noticed an ad for old La Poste electric Kangoos sold between 1,500 and 2,000 euros. I went to see: there were a good twenty copies lined up in front of the garage “, sees our interlocutor again.
” The seller quickly cooled me down when he told me that the prices assumed eligibility for the conversion bonus. We didn’t have a thermal vehicle to sacrifice. And certainly not the Citroën 2 CV which was my wife’s first car when she arrived in France. “, he reports.
” I went home quite unhappy with this misadventure. Anyway, the autonomy of these old Kangoos would have been too short for my business trips, especially to go to Toulouse in winter, 50 kilometers from my home. “, he consoles himself.
Need a Kangoo Z.E.33
” I quickly understood that I would need a Kangoo Z. E. equipped with a battery with a capacity of 33 kWh and the heat pump. Two places for my wife and I would be enough, because our 3 children are studying and are no longer with us. However, finding such a second-hand model, released since only 2018, did not seem very easy to me for a fair price. “says Paul Bewell.
” I first called the Montauban dealership where we bought the Zoé. I also did some research on the LeBonCoin.fr website. It’s finally in Périgueux, 199 km from my home, that I found an interesting model “, he still rejoices in retrospect.
” The vehicle had been made available to a town hall previously via an LLD formula. The dealership couldn’t resell it and had it in stock for several months. The price had just dropped from 11,000 to 10,000 euros. Thanks to the government’s 1,000 euro bonus on electric utilities, it cost me 9,000 euros. It’s almost a third of the price of new. “, he encrypts.
Train + bike
” To go try the vehicle, I took my bike on the train. I was afraid that the electric Kangoo’s small 60-horsepower motor would be a bit tight to use. Its operation is actually quite acceptable. In any case, it is better than the 1.2-litre petrol model from the early days of the Kangoo. The ZE 33 drives very well and quietly “says Paul Bewell.
” With 25,000 km on the clock, the vehicle needed a good cleaning, but the bodywork was in very good condition, without dents. However, the interior trim was missing, including the wooden floor. The Périgueux dealership did it again without a price increase “, he thanks.
” I took the train and my bike back to pick up the Kangoo 3 weeks later, which then seemed to be in like-new condition. I had studied that with an intermediate recharge I would easily cover the 199 km to return home “, he recalls.
Terminal out of order
” I had chosen with Chargemap the terminal that would allow me to recharge the battery in one hour. From there, I would have less than half of the total route left to complete the trip. Alas, when I arrived, the terminal was not working. I received a long business phone call at this time and couldn’t look into resolving the issue. So much so that I tried to return directly, pressed for time explains Paul Bewell.
” The Kangoo told me 40% energy available in the battery, for a range of 79.9 km. I had 80 to do. I was afraid of not getting there. But in the end, driving in Eco mode and empty, I was surprised to still have 20% capacity in the pack once at destination. I’m really delighted, because the autonomy of my Kangoo is truly 230-240 km empty “, he underlines.
Complementary EVs
” In the end, the Zoé and the Kangoo are complementary. For short trips like shopping and transporting materials, the Kangoo is ideal. When we need more autonomy, like to go to Tarbes 250 km from home or take our son to high school in Auch, we take the Zoé », justifies Paul Bewell.
” It’s fun to go from the versatile, with its digital display specific to electric vehicles, to the Kangoo which still has classic needle instruments on the dashboard, a car radio and an ignition key to handle like on a thermal model. “, he compares.
” I just have to mount a hitch on the utility. I’m going to do it myself, because the cost of parts and labor seems too high to me: over 500 euros. I’m also going to work on the thermal insulation, because it’s very hot in the Southwest in the summer. To load long materials more easily, I will also dismantle the partition “, he details.
A Sono Sion for 2023
” I’m expecting a Sono Sion for 2023. It was a friend who had converted to electric for years who decided me to pay the 1,000 euros to reserve a copy. He owns a Renault Zoé which has covered more than 320,000 km today. It’s reassuring ! », teaches us Paul Bewell.
” What I like about the Sion: 5 seats, the rectangular shapes, the flat floor, the autonomy of more than 300 km, the recharging by photovoltaic panels, the possibility of supplying external devices and even recharging another car with, a correct price of 26,000 euros lower than that of a Zoé, the regular messages sent by Sono Motors to confirm delivery and provide us with new information “, he lists.
” We will certainly not keep 3 electric cars at home. I will see then what we will do. Maybe Madame will take the Sion and we’ll resell the Zoe “, he concludes.
Automobile Propre and I would like to thank Paul Bewell for his testimony, who responded quickly in the affirmative to our request for an interview.
