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Ooh the electric!
The iconic Renault 5 subcompact, formerly sold in the United States as Le Car, is expected to return as a battery-powered vehicle.
The French automaker unveiled the 5 Prototype at an event on Thursday outlining its future electric car projects. In addition to its hatchback profile, the car reinvents several features of the original, including the transformation of the engine’s air intake on the hood into a charging port and the addition of a textile-lined roof which makes echo of the large retractable fabric roof available on the first 5.
Renault is aiming for a 2023 launch date for a production model, but has not disclosed any details on the expected range and price.
As for availability in the US, Renault currently doesn’t sell cars here and doesn’t have any imminent plans for a return, but you can still buy an electric Le Car… if you can find one.
US Electricar also offered 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 company Electricar offered a Le Car conversion it called Lectric Leopard, which replaced the four-cylinder engine with an electric motor that drove the wheels through Le Car’s standard four-speed manual transmission. . It was, however, powered by a six-volt 6-volt car battery pack, like the golf carts used, and had a range of less than 50 miles per charge and a top speed of just 55 mph, which was legally as fast as the cars were allowed to drive. at this moment.
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It’s unclear exactly how many were made, but they sometimes appear in the classifieds, often with updated 12-volt batteries or even modern lithium-ion cells.
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