Currently reading: Mobilize Duo is reborn Renault Twizy with 100-mile range

£10k city EV gets Lamborghini-style doors and plenty of kit, including heated seats and Bluetooth connectivity

The Renault Group's nascent mobility division has lifted the covers off the production version of its Mobilize Duo, the spiritual successor to the Renault Twizy.

Revealed ahead of its debut at the Paris motor show, it's an electric quadricycle like the Citroën Ami but has been designed to offer the creature comforts of a full-size car.

For instance, it gets Bluetooth and USB-C phone connectivity, air conditioning, a heated seat and an airbag – a more comprehensive kit list than its Ami and Micro Microlino rivals.

Two versions will be available, homologated to the L6e and L7e quadricycle regulations. The former (which can be driven in the EU without a full driving licence) is limited to the same 28mph as the Ami, whereas the latter can do 50mph.

The Duo is powered by the 48V motor used in the Renault Austral mild hybrid. Renault has yet to disclose a power figure for the unit, but claimed it provides “strong acceleration” up to town speeds.

L6e quadricycles are legally limited to 8bhp, while their L7e counterparts can be boosted up to 21bhp. The L7e Microlino's single motor puts out 17bhp, for reference.

It packs a 10.3kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery, which yields a range of up to 100 miles on the WMTC (World Motorcycle Test Cycle) regimen used for quadricycles.

Renault said this should translate to a real-world range of around 62 miles in winter.

The company did not detail maximum charging rates but said it takes 3hr 50min to go from 20-80% on an AC connection and 3hr 25min on DC, suggesting the Duo peaks at around 3kW.

Mobilize Duo interior

Despite measuring just 2.43m long and 1.3m wide, it has seating for two, using the same tandem interior layout as the Twizy.

That helps to give the Duo a turning circle of 6.80m – tighter than a London cab's.

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Unlike on the Twizy, the Duo’s doors – which open Lamborghini-style – feature conventional windows for weather protection.

The Duo has been designed to minimise its impact on the environment: some 40% of its weight comprises recycled materials and it's claimed to be 95% recyclable at the end of its life.

The front and the rear bumpers are the same panel and one indicator piece is used around its exterior. The Duo uses five times fewer parts than a conventional car, Renault said.

It will be built alongside the Dacia Sandero and Dacia Jogger at the Renault Group’s plant in Tangier, Morocco, which takes 90% of its energy from renewable sources.

Mobilize Duo parked

The sum of these efforts is that the Duo emits a third of the greenhouse gas emissions of an A-segment city car over its lifetime, according to Renault.

In similar fashion to a Tesla, the Duo doesn't come with a physical key. It instead uses a bespoke MyDuo app, compatible with Apple and Android phones, for locking and unlocking.

Prices for the L6 version will start at €9990 (excluding incentives) in France, indicating that it will cost from around £10,000 in the UK.

The L7 version is priced from €11,600 in France, with Evo trim adding Bluetooth, a heated seat and orange accents for €900.

UK deliveries of the Duo and its cargo van sibling, the Mobilize Bento, are set to begin in late spring 2025.

The Bento trades the Duo’s second seat for a load bay with a capacity of 649 litres. 

It's available only in L7 guise and its range is slightly reduced from the Duo's, at 93 miles.

It’s priced at €10,900 in France (excluding VAT).

Charlie Martin

Charlie Martin Autocar
Title: Editorial assistant, Autocar

As part of Autocar’s news desk, Charlie plays a key role in the title’s coverage of new car launches and industry events. He’s also a regular contributor to its social media channels, providing videos for Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook and Twitter.

Charlie joined Autocar in July 2022 after a nine-month stint as an apprentice with sister publication What Car?, during which he acquired his gold-standard NCTJ diploma with the Press Association.

Charlie is the proud owner of a Fiat Panda 100HP, which he swears to be the best car in the world. Until it breaks.

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artill 11 October 2024

I always liked the Twizy, but it was too expensive. It cost as much as an Aygo, and then you had to pay to rent the batteries. If this is £12k including batteries its much cheaper than an Aygo, and i assume it comes with its batteries now. Add to that luxury items, like doors, and it would do for 80% of my driving. I could do without the orange on the dash, but otherwise it looks fun, and funky

nicfaz 11 October 2024

Love that, could be all many people actually need, for £12k.  That's what the future of electric motoring should be, not £150k luxobarges.  

ianp55 10 October 2024

Well it certainly answers the main shortcomings of the Twizy that was no doors, range & top speed with air con & heated seat it's positively luxurious, if Renault price and promote this properly it could do well here