Renault Samsung Explores Rental Market for SM3 EV

Renault Samsung is evaluating whether to place its SM3 Z.E. electric vehicle in daily rental fleets, making the car available to employees for short stints during a market test it will run Feb. 17-May 31.

“We are developing a business model for application of our EV by major rental companies in Korea,” a spokesman tells WardsAuto. The auto maker has no intention of entering the rental-car business per se, but will make its data available to interested rental-car firms.

“We are working together with SK Innovation to investigate the rental-car applications for this vehicle,” he says.

Renault Samsung will assign four of the EVs to its employees and those of SK Innovation for short periods, probably two days, during the 14-week test period. Data from follow-on interviews will be used in developing the business model, the spokesman says.

Eligible employees must submit applications to get temporary 2-day unrestricted use of the EV.

Renault Samsung also is a partner in an SK Innovation consortium to explore and develop EV technologies.

The consortium is using the SM3 Z.E. EV to gain operational experience and develop supporting infrastructure on a major government test bed located on Korea’s Cheju island.

Meanwhile, SK has begun construction of a major lithium-ion battery plant in Seosan, Korea, that will be in production later this year. It will be capable of producing 25,000 battery packs annually.

However, Renault Samsung has not committed to using the SK batteries when it launches commercial production of the SM3 EV.

SK announced in Detroit in January a proposed joint-venture agreement with Continental of Germany. It would hold 51% and Continental 49% of an international company producing Li-ion battery systems.

The JV’s headquarters would be in Germany. Location of a research and development site has not been determined.

It is conceivable the new JV could serve Renault's European needs for batteries for its fleet of E.Z. plug-in electrics including the Twizy city car, Fluence sedan, Zoe Preview coupe and Kangoo van.

In Korea, it could supply Renault Samsung and others. SK already manufactures Li-ion batteries for Hyundai.

Renault Samsung's SM3 is exported from Korea to parent Renault in France, where it is converted to an EV, and imported back into Korea as the SM3 E.Z.