Ooh la electric!
The iconic Renault 5 subcompact, once sold in the US as Le Car, will return as a battery-powered vehicle.
The French carmaker unveiled the 5-prototype Thursday during an event outlining its future electric car plans. Along with its hatchback profile, the car features several features of the original, including converting the air intake on the bonnet into a boot and adding a textile-finished roof that reflects the large, retractable fabric that was available on the first 5 .
Renault plans a production date of 2023 for 2023, but has not yet released any details on the expected range and price.
As for the availability of the US, Renault is not currently selling cars here and she is not planning an impending return, but you can still buy an electric Le Car … if you can get one.
US Electricar also offers a 4-door Lectric Leopard based on the Fiat Strada
(David L. Ryan / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
From 1979 to 1980, the American Electricar company offered a Le Car conversion called the Lectric Leopard, which swapped the four-cylinder engine for an electric motor that propelled the wheels through the Le Car’s standard four-speed manual transmission. It draws power from a six-pack of 6-volt motor batteries such as golf carts used, and has a range of less than 50 miles per charge and a top speed of just 55 km / h, which was legally as fast as what cars were allowed to drive. at that time.
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It is not clear how much was made there, but sometimes it appears in advertisements, with batteries updated to 12 volts or even modern lithium-ion cells.