Renault Twizy F1 concept New

Renault Twizy F1 concept New

The other day, Renault teased a new electric concept car and we were expecting to see something big - something at least similar to the Alpine A110-50 Concept. Unfortunately, the new concept is quite disappointing, at least aesthetically.

Renault Twizy F1 concept New

The new Twizy F1 Concept has been developed on a single-seat racecar platform and, according to Renault, it is "a bridge between the world of F1 technology and that of production cars." The problem is that along with the technology, Renault Sport also decided to use some F1-inspired design elements that are just a little too much for the super-compact Twizy.

While the look is something questionable, what lies under the hood makes us completely forget about how wrong things went to Renault design laboratory this time. The technology behind the concept was developed by engineers from both Renaultsport and their colleagues at Renault Sport F1 and it is essentially the same as the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) used in the Renault Formula 1 cars.

Click past the jump to read more about the new Renault Twizy F1 Concept.

Exterior

Renault Twizy F1 concept New

The new Twizy F1 concept was inspired by Formula 1 cars on both exterior and interior. The concept features a front splitter made in carbon fiber, side-pods, rear wing and a rear diffuser. The side-view mirrors were designed just like in a single-seat racecar and the diffuser incorporates the rain light of a Formula Renault 3.5 car.
Interior
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On the inside, the rear seats from the standard Twizy have been removed and replaced with the new KERS system. This latest one is visible thanks to a transparent housing.

The new F1 Concept borrowed the steering wheel from its F1 brethren, but with the functions adapted for use on an electric vehicle equipped with KERS.

There is also an "RS Monitor" data logging system that offers information on the 0-to-50 km/h (31 mph) time, 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time, and 50- and 100-meter standing start times.
Drivetrain

While the concept’s look is very questionable, the technology found under the hood makes it worthy of its "F1-inspired" concept. Renault has installed a KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) that helps recover kinetic energy generated under braking. This energy is stored and then used to boost power output, just as it is in Formula 1.

The KERS system features three main elements: an electric motor-generator unit (MGU) directly linked to the driveshaft, lithium-ion batteries and a KERS Control Unit (KCU).

With this system, the concept’s output can be instantly increased from 17 to 97 horsepower. The extra power is available for about 13 seconds. With this boost, the concept can sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in rather peppy 6 seconds. Top speed, on the other hand, is still low at 68 mph.
Will it make it to production?

We highly doubt that the new Twizy F1 will make it to production, but for sure its technology will inspire future electric vehicles from Renault.
Competition

Smart Fortwo electric drive

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The new Twizy F1 Concept is not the only electric car on the market. In fact, there are lots of other vehicles that are totally functional. The Fortwo electric drive is a small city car powered by a 55 kW magneto-electric motor. This model can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 11.5 seconds and can hit a top speed of 77 mph. It can travel up to 90 miles on a single charge.

Though its top speed beats the Twizy F1’s, it takes nearly twice the time to get to 60 mph.

Source : www.topspeed.com