Paris  - French car maker Renault is planning to mass-produce four electric-powered vehicles (E-Vehicles) in 2011 based on current models such as the Kangoo Rapid delivery van and a passenger vehicle.

Renault will at a later stage introduce a city car built entirely around the electric vehicle technology. An E-Vehicle based on the current Megane is scheduled for 2012.

In cooperation with its alliance partner Nissan, the car maker is working on a system that would allow the exchange of the lithium-ion battery units in a matter of minutes, doing away with lengthy loading times at electric sockets.

Currently the 250 kg lithium-ion units are mounted on the car floor needing between six and eight hours of loading time on a normal electric socket. A quick loading station can load the unit within 30 minutes to 80 per cent capacity.

Renault is currently testing a Kangoo Be-Bop with a 44 kW electric engine that has a range of about 100 kilometres with engineers hoping to boost this to 160 kilometres when serial production starts. (dpa)