We saw the Renault Kwid Electric at the 2020 Auto Expo in Delhi earlier this year. Unfortunately, we are far from witnessing the India launch of the Kwid K-ZE. However, Dacia - Renault's sub-brand - has unveiled the Spring EV which is nothing but the Kwid EV with some design changes. The Romanian marque calls it the most affordable EV to go on sale in Europe in early 2021.
The Dacia Spring EV is identical to the Kwid EV as it is actually the same car. Changes lie on the front and on the rear with minor revisions made inside too. The Spring EV will be Dacia's first all-electric model to go on sale but the UK won't be able to enjoy this little electric hatch. On the front, we get the Dacia grille which also doubles up as the charging port for the battery pack, more on that later. The grille is flanked with split headlights whereas the main headlights sit lower on the bumper. The side profile is identical to the Kwid whereas the taillights get a unique LED pattern.
Coming to the inside of the Dacia Spring EV, we have a similar cabin layout. Moreover, we get a four-spoke steering wheel, electrically-adjustable ORVMs, steering mounted control, centrally-mounted rotary drive select, four power windows, touchscreen infotainment among other nifty features. The boot space of the Spring EV is a respectable 300 litres and front passengers also get 23.1 litres of storage space which includes door bins and glove box.
Coming to the drive train, we have got the same 33kW electric motor and a 26.8 kWh battery pack mounted under the floor. The electric motor produces 44hp and 125 Nm of torque and Dacia claims it to be equally economical to a regular ICE car. Talking about charging, the Spring EV offers 220V home socket charging which takes less than 14 hours whereas the 30kW DC fast charging will take less than an hour for 80 per cent charge. Talking about range, the Spring EV is rated by WLTP to deliver a range of 225 km.
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The Dacia Spring EV will go on sale in Europe early 2021 and it will be sold in three versions - regular, car-sharing and cargo. The Spring EV is similar to the Kwid K-ZE which was shown at the 2020 Auto Expo. It is worth noting that Renault announced the India launch of the K-ZE to happen within the next two years but the Covid-19 came in, the launch can be pushed ahead. Close to home, Renault India is working to launch the Kiger sub-compact SUV in the Indian market.
