More than a skateboard, less than a car; that’s Renault’s new electric Twizy
Tel Aviv’s serious pollution and car parking problems which were partially alleviated with the Tel-O-Fun bike sharing program back in 2011; and with proposed ideas to ban trucks during the morning rush hours. The city’s Municipality may now have an even better program involving a new rental share agreement using a tiny two seat electric car, the Renault Twizy. The Twizy, which the New York Times refers to as “more than a skateboard, less than a car” is already being tried out in big European cities like Paris to help solve urban commuting and parking problems in there as well. And now Tel Aviv’s mayor gave it a spin.
One of several all electric or ZE (zero emission) cars being developed by France’s giant Renault automobile consortium, the Twizy is much smaller than models such as the Better Place Fluence ZE salon which Green Prophet test drove last summer; and the brand new ZOE model, which more resembles Renault’s popular Cleo gasoline driven car.
Using small electric micro cars in an urban environment as congested and polluted as Tel Aviv may have now received a big boost with the car being tried out by Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai himself trying out the Twizy during a Channel 2 News program that emphasized the car being used in a proposed car sharing rental program that would include both the Renault Twizy and electric skateboards. Mayor Huldig appeared very enthusiastic when test driving the car as shown here in the news clip below (note, it’s in Hebrew).
Under the rental-share program, the cars would be available in various city locations for a daily rental fee of NIS 70 ($18.75) plus NIS 1.5 ($0.27) per kilometer driven. Payment would be by credit card and the cars would be picked up and returned to the designated rental locations in a similar manner as the present Tel-O-Fun green bicycles are.
Mayor Huldig believes that the cars would be used by both local residents and visitors, including foreign tourists; and would do a lot to help reduce air pollution in the city as well as being a way to get around easier. While the Twizy is presently a curiosity to many people who have seen it, it is also another way of helping to solve the traffic congestion problem in the Non Stop City.
Although the Twizy can travel at speeds up to 50 kph, using it on highways is another matter however. “We don’t see this car as being used to drive to Jerusalem,” says Carasso Motors Ltd CEO Avi Tamir, importers of Renault and Nissan cars in Israel.
Photo: Renault/NY Times :
Read more on the Renault Twizy, other Renault electric cars; and the Tel-O-Fun bike sharing program:
Tiny Electric Vehicle Rental Program Could Reduce Tel Aviv Pollution
Renault’s Electric ZOE Mini Car is More Electric Bang for Your Buck
Green Prophet Test Drives Better Place Electric Car
Tel-O-Fun (Finally) Brings Bike Sharing to Tel Aviv
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