The Dacia Spring Aims For Electric Driving On A Budget
Dacia is well-known for its cost-effective motoring ethos. With the Dacia Spring, it’s now looking to extent it to zero-emission mobility…
The Dacia Spring
The Dacia Spring concept offers a glimpse at what is expected to be Europe’s cheapest electric car. Based on Renault’s Chinese K-ZE model, it’s expected to offer more than 125 miles of range in its production form; a figure that clarifies its intended purpose as a city car. Like its Chinese cousin, it boasts a rugged (yet futuristic) styling and high ground clearance. The Spring’s front end, however, has been reworked and shows off a new Dacia grille. Designers have also opted for narrow ED lights at the front and back of the car.
Other than a vague outline of range, technical details remain sparse. As does the car’s cost. Its equivalent in China, however, sells for around 8,000 Euros. All the company has said is that it’ll be on offer for a “fair price”. Given that it’s, well, a Dacia we’re going to translate that as ‘highly affordable’. We also don’t know whether the production version of the Dacia Spring will hit the UK market. Given that it’s intended for car-share services (at least to begin with) any launch may be late; these services have performed relatively poorly in the UK in comparison to the likes of France and Germany.
Spring Time For EVs?
We’re getting closer to more accessible, and desirable, electric cars. BMW expects its Mini Electric to push the technology into the mainstream. Volkswagen has the same view of its upcoming ID.3 model. The Mini Electric starts from £27,320 and the ID.3 from £27,000. They have ranges of 124 miles and between 205 and 342 miles respectively (depending on trim). These figures are starting to look healthy, but they still exclude entry-level motorists and won’t shake off range-anxiety for most. The Dacia Spring is unlikely to change anything in terms of range, but it certainly stands a change in terms of price.
Even if the Spring is more expensive in Europe than it is in China (let’s face it, it will be) it’ll probably still be cost-effective. Anything up to around the £12,000 – £14,000 mark would make it viable for the mass-market. If so, millions of commuters and urbanites would have a workable way of going zero-emission. After all, most of us drive fewer than 30 miles a day anyway. It’s a shame, however, that Dacia couldn’t up the range to around the 150 mile mark; that would have been quite special and would no doubt cause all sorts of disruption.
So, what do you think, is the Dacia Spring enough to make you go electric? If you’re not a travelling salesman or a Cornishman with a taste for the Highlands, you may not have many excuses left.
In Defence Of The Dacia Sandero And Cheap Motoring – https://autoserveclub.co.uk/blog/in-defence-of-the-dacia-sandero-and-cheap-motoring/
Tesla’s Cybertruck May Not Be Legal In Europe, According To Expert – https://autoserve.co.uk/motoring-news/teslas-cybertruck-may-not-be-legal-in-europe-according-to-expert/
