Dacia Spring, featherweight electric conquers the European market

Unveiled in spring 2021, the electric Dacia Spring celebrates its second birthday having already won over 108,000 customers. In the last year alone, 48,900 units were registered globally, i.e. + 75% compared to 2021, a value that makes Spring the third best-selling electric vehicle to private individuals in Europe.
The range, which for a year has also included the Cargo version – ideal for professional operators, such as craftsmen and delivery workers, who need unrestricted access to urban centers – has been enriched a few months ago with the more powerful Spring Electric variant 65 with an engine that delivers 48 kW, i.e. 65 HP.
Both for the approved Spring for cars and for trucks, the related data transmitted by the cars in circulation demonstrate that use complies with that of a product whose strengths are compactness and lightness. Spring’s average daily distance is 31 km and 68% of customers travel less than 30 km a day on average. With a full charge of the battery, the average weekly distance can be covered.
The average number of daily trips is 5.4. Initially purchased as a second car for the family unit, Spring has established itself as the main means of transport during the week for 90% of families with multiple means of transport who have chosen it.
The average speed of customers driving the Spring is 26 km/h, thus confirming the suitability of this model for customers’ daily journeys.
“In less than 2 years, Dacia Spring has become one of the leaders on the electric vehicle market in Europe – underlines Xavier Martinet, Dacia Marketing, Sales and Operations Director – and now the Spring Electric 65 in Extreme trim, presented at the Brussels Motor Show at the beginning year, further enriches the offer with a more powerful engine. The arrival of Spring Cargo will in turn allow professional operators to enjoy a simple and practical 100% electric daily life”. Dacia Spring also bases its efficiency on an optimized mass. In the Electric 45 version the empty weight is only 970 kg including the battery and in the Electric 65 it increases by only 5 kg reaching an empty weight of 975 kg. Spring is the only 100% electric car in the European Top 20 to weigh less than a ton.
The presence of a light battery (only 188 kg) – which is a strong and fundamental product choice and which is at the basis of the virtuous circle chosen by Dacia – makes Spring more efficient.
And given that the engine consumes less energy to operate than heavier electric vehicles, Spring also offers undoubted advantages for ‘incentivising’ the transition of customers (private or professional) to electric mobility.
In particular, the new 48 kW (65 HP) Electric 65 engine available exclusively for Spring Extreme and combined with a specific reduction unit (which multiplies the torque transmitted to the wheels) offers quicker acceleration and quicker pick-up over a wider range of revs. Spring Extreme Electric 65 offers a Wltp range of 220 km in the mixed cycle and 305 km in the urban one.
Spring Cargo, which instead has no rear seats to maximize the load volume (1,000 litres) and can carry over 350 kg, maintains the same range as the Electric 45 car version, i.e. 230 km in Wltp mixed cycle which can reach up to 305 km in the urban cycle.
Depending on the country, the commercial version of the Spring is directly produced in the factory (N1 approval in Italy) with a dividing bulkhead between the front and rear and fastening rings, or modified starting from the 4-seater Spring base and declining it into a commercial vehicle 2-seater (M1 homologation) from Qstomize, a company specializing in Groupe Renault equipment.
The great efficiency of Spring was certified in August 2022 by the Green Ncap body which awarded it the maximum score of 5 stars. In its assessment, Green Ncap considered the environmental impact that the vehicle and its use have on air quality, global warming and energy consumption. In each of these categories, Spring stood out for both energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact.
And last February 2023, the body awarded Spring the title of Best Car Green Ncap 2022 and the ‘featherweight’ of European electric vehicles established itself on the ‘heavyweights of the market. The 5 stars obtained are not only symbolic, says a release, as they reward Dacia for its desire to offer all users vehicles with the best price/performance ratio on the market and more environmentally friendly.