It’s nice to see that at least some big car makers have electric sparks in their eyes. From the pages of The Economist:

OVER the past few weeks Renault has been giving politicians, journalists and big commercial customers across Europe the chance to drive a slightly odd-looking battery-powered vehicle based on its Kangoo, a small van. Like most of the latest electric-vehicle prototypes, the Kangoo Be Bop ZE, as it is called, drives briskly and quietly. Unlike most of them, it is a thoroughly practical proposition. It provides plenty of space for five people and their luggage, has a range of about 160 kilometres (100 miles)—and, crucially, when it goes on sale in less than two years’ time, it will not cost a fortune.

Renault’s roadshow is part of a vigorous campaign to prepare the market for the electric vehicles on which its boss, Carlos Ghosn, is staking the future of both the French firm and its Japanese ally, Nissan. Mr Ghosn believes that by 2020 purely electric, zero-emission vehicles will take 10% of the global car market. What is more, he wants such vehicles to account for 20% of Renault-Nissan’s sales by then.
[Source: The Economist]

Read the full article for some interesting qualifiers…