Renault will sell about 10,000 units of its Zoe subcompact electric car this year, 40,000 below its target, according to market analyst Inovev.
The automaker would not confirm or deny that its aim this year for the Zoe was 50,000 global sales, a number that Inovev said was provided by multiple high-ranking Renault executives. Early this year the automaker announced that the Renault-Nissan alliance would not meet its goal of selling 1.5 million EVs globally by 2016. A Renault spokeswoman said that the alliance has not set any new targets yet.
Renault launched the battery-powered Zoe in Europe earlier this year. With a global volume of 6,600 units from January through September, the Zoe is the top-selling EV in Renault's lineup, which also includes the Fluence Z.E. sedan, Kangoo Z.E. small van and Twizy two-seat model.
Michel Costes, president and CEO at France-based Inovev, said that while Zoe sales will fall significantly short of Renault's initial projections, he believes consumer interest in the Zoe and other EVs such as the Nissan Leaf will grow once there are more public places available to plug in the car.
"We think that the Zoe and EVs in general will continue to become a popular alternative to combustion engine cars, especially in urban environments, as charging stations become more available. But that will happen slower than what Renault forecast," Costes told Automotive News Europe.
Consultancy IHS Automotive estimates that Renault will sell 23,434 Zoe units in 2014 and 25,843 units in 2015 and believes that it will take Renault until 2020 to reach 50,000 sales a year.
Along with the need to build up a public charging infrastructure at places such as parking garages and shopping centers, IHS technology specialist Alastair Hayfield said EV uptake also will be affected by factors such as legislation, fuel prices, and battery technology.
