6+ years and three Renault ZOE's later, And the Owner of the Largest Dedicated Renault ZOE & E-Tech Owners club has found himself in a Hyundai Kona, We ask Craig why the change and what's going to happen with the club?
Q - Why do you not own a Renault ZOE anymore?
A - What happened was #AirBagGate, The lack of the high-end AirBag that protects the driver and passenger on side impact was removed so it was important that my life and family's life were protected so a safer car was needed.
Q - Would you have kept your ZOE if the AirBag issue was fixed?
A - Yes, most definitely, The ZOE is an amazing car for the money.
Q - Has Renault done anything to rectify the issue for other owners?
A - Not that I am aware, Renault has shut the doors on answering any questions and is not moving to make the ZE50 a safer car again which is very sad.
Q - Now you own a Hyundai Kona, What's your plan for RZOC?
A - Nothing is changing. I am fully behind supporting all the owners New or Old, We will still be doing things as a club in the future with meets and events but i will just be in a different EV which is fine because you don't have to own a ZOE or ZE to be part of our club we welcome all types of EV Owners,
Q - Will you ever have another Renault EV?
A - Yes, I am totally looking forward to the new Renault 5 EV, Of course, it will have to be a safe car for me to own but I am already looking forward to maybe owning such an iconic car.
Q - If you had a few words and Renault would listen what would you say to them right now?
A - At present, i am so mad with Renault I think the words would be unworthy of myself after what I have done in the last 6+ Years to help promote their product without even being on the pay salary of Renault, We as a club have done so much more than Renault have done for there owners to date,
We are the ones who help the owners when the support isn't there from the dealers, etc, So if Renault is listening maybe stop & think about what you have done to not only your brand but your respectful owners who have helped grow the brand of your EV product over the 6+ Years of the club, And pull your head from the sand and do something right and admit you made a huge mistake and fix the issue for the love of the owners and there families that drive daily in a vehicle that isn't as safe as the older product you sold prior to the ZE50.
Q - Finally, Will we see you at any events this year.
A - Yes, I plan on attending some upcoming events around the UK focused on EVs but my new career which isn't EV-related has really had an impact on my focus on EV related stuff, But I am still here and I am still promoting EVs where i can,
Thank you Craig for your time and we look forward to seeing you in 2022.
I recently spoke to a Mr Choudrey at Renault Rickmansworth, he said that Renault would not be doing anything about the situation as the car is as stated in the brochure. I have now looked very closely at the Zoe 40 (which I part exchanged for the 50) brochure and in the spec it states that curtain airbags are used but in the Zoe 50 brochure the word 'curtain ' is omitted. How many people would look that closely before deciding whether to buy or not?
Jeff K.
Sold my ze50 today my family safely is more important than fun....ng renault won't be buying another renault it was my second zoe will be my last renault talk about head up your backside
Hi Craig
Hope you enjoy the Kona it seems a good car.
I have decided to keep the Zoe for now, but Renault have most likely lost a customer for the Megane EV I was thinking of getting at the end of my contract due to their lack of common sense and I think I will look at an Enyaq
Yours
Ray