Renault returns to the license-free car market with the Mobilize Duo, the Citroën AMI may tremble

Renault is officially making its comeback on the license-free car market with the Mobilize Duo. A worthy successor to the Twizy, this quadricycle intends to walk in the footsteps of the Citroën AMI with a superior technical sheet in every way, autonomy in mind.

Better late than never. Renault has finally decided to launch the Mobilize Duo, its brand new license-free car. Presented for the first time in 2022, the quadricycle was initially expected for the end of 2023, but ultimately the launch was a little delayed. But this time, it’s the right one. Via Mobilize, its subsidiary dedicated to urban mobility, the Diamond brand therefore officially opens sales of the Duo.

Designed to be the worthy successor to the Twizy, this electric quadricycle can carry up to two passengersinstalled in tandem. Like the Twizy, the Duo should allow users to squeeze into the narrowest urban spaces thanks to its ultra compact format: 2.42 meters long and only 1.3 meters wide.

With such dimensions, the Duo promises great maneuverability thanks to an extremely small footprint. In other words, we should be able to park anywhere without difficulty. Especially since Renault has opted for elytron doorsi.e. a vertical opening. This makes parking even easier.

On the design side, Mobilize did not seek to be elegant like the Fiat Topolino. The Duo is rather rough, with its imposing front and rear shields. To break the austerity of the vehicle, it will nevertheless be possible to decorate the interior with optional stickers. Regarding the passenger compartment, comfort and safety seem to be there (a recurring fault with the AMI) with padded seats, heated windshield and driver’s airbag. On the dashboard, we note the presence of a small instrumentation screen to find essential information (speed, remaining battery, etc.) anda base to connect your smartphone. A nice little extra, the car comes with a dedicated mobile application called “My Duo”. Thanks to it, users can generate up to six digital keys to open/close the vehicle with their smartphone.

Autonomy, maximum speed, the Duo does better than the competition on paper

Under “the hood”, we find an electric motor from the powertrain of the Renault Austral with mild hybridization. As with the Citroën AMI, we will not be able to exceed 45 km/h with this version. On the other hand, the Duo clearly stands out from the competition by also offering a variant capable of reaching 80 km/h. Please note, you must have a B license to drive it.

Another good point, the Duo has a large battery with 10.3 kWh useful capacity. As a result, the manufacturer promises up to 161 km of range in WLTP mixed cycle. We are far from the 70 km imposed with the Citroën AMI. On the charging side, the Mobilize Duo will have a standard socket as standard for connecting at home. Unsurprisingly, you will have to be patient to stock up on electrons, with almost 4 hours to go from 20 to 80% charge. Those in a hurry will therefore jump on the Type 2 socket offered as an option to connect to public fast terminals.

Available to order from October 14, 2024, the Mobilize Duo is priced from €9,090 in its 45 km/h version (VAT included and ecological bonus of €900 deducted). As for the 80 km/h version, the bill rises to €11,600. Note that Mobilize is also launching the Bento, a version of its quadricycle intended primarily for professionals, particularly with its large 649-liter trunk.