Renault is making a bold move in the push towards making electric vehicles mainstream by opening its very own showroom that's completely dedicated to electric vehicles. The showroom will be located in a shopping center in Sweden, and it makes the French automaker the latest in a growing line of major motor manufacturers to adopt this way of interacting with potential customers.
This Renault venture is different from those opened by the likes of Mercedes recently, and that's because this one is only concerned with promoting electrified vehicles. Going by the grand name of the Renault Electric Vehicle Experience Centre, the new showroom will be able to take orders for vehicles, offer test drives to potential buyers, and provide experts on-site who are capable of answering the many questions customers are likely to have.
The store will be split into separate zones, which will offer information on all the most important aspects of electric vehicle ownership and operation, such as charging infrastructure, local legislation and subsidies, and electric mobility services.
Choosing Sweden as the country to launch the new venture makes total sense as the government there has been one of the most positive and involved when it comes to promoting electric vehicles. The Swedish authorities support EV sales with financial incentives, and Stockholm is already an emissions-restricted zone.
At the moment, Sweden currently offers subsidies for the purchase of battery electric vehicles of up to 40,000 krona (about 4,000 euros). According to the European Alternative Fuel Observatory, Sweden also supports EV sales with tax breaks and exemptions.
Although EVs only represent a very small part of the auto market in Europe at the moment, uptake of electrified vehicles is on the rise. Last year in Europe, according to JATO Dynamics, demand for battery-electric cars grew by an impressive 46 percent to around 132,000 total registrations.
The Renault Zoe was the star performer as the best-selling EV in Europe in 2017, with its sales rising by 44 percent on the previous year to a total of 30,586.
Of course, manufacturers promoting and selling battery-electric vehicles direct to the public in places such as shopping centers is nothing new, as Tesla has exclusively sold its models this way and online since day one.
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