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51-457: Ian Clifford is a professional photographer and a co-founder, along with Marek Warunkiewicz (creative and art director) of digIT Interactive (1993–2000). After digIT was sold, Ian, Marek and Probyn "Bunny" Gayle founded Feel Good Cars, which was later renamed to ZENN Motor Company. The first prototype, a Dauphine Electric was based on the French economy-class combustion-based Renault Dauphine . By 2001

102-675: A 10.7% ownership of EEStor stock. As of August 1, 2010, ZENN has not received a prototype from EEStor. In 2009 and 2010, ZENN canceled production of their vehicles and released employees to conserve cash. ZENN's remaining business is focused on the EEStor technology and their rights to it. In April 2012, the company raised CAN$ 2 million from investors primarily on the promise of EEstor's technology. In 2013, KPCB sold much or all of its remaining stake in EEStor to ZENN. In 2015, ZENN changed its name to EESTor Corporation. Renault Dauphine The Renault Dauphine ( pronounced [dɔfin] )

153-477: A Dauphine dashboard into a work of art. In 1950, the president of General Motors (GM) had visited Renault, noting the cars' drab colors, inside and out. According to their own 1951 Survey , Renault's studies had shown that women held stronger opinions on the colors of a car than the actual choice of a particular model. Coincidentally, well-known Parisian textile artist Paule Marrot (1902–1987) had written to Renault's chairman, Lefaucheux, giving her opinion that

204-734: A car appropriate for their increasing standard of living, and the onset of the French Autoroute national highway implementation. Internally known as "Project 109" the Dauphine's engineering began in 1949 with engineers Fernand Picard , Robert Barthaud and Jacques Ousset managing the project. A 1951 survey conducted by Renault indicated design parameters of a car with a top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph), seating for four passengers and fuel consumption of less than 7 L/100 km (40 mpg ‑imp ; 34 mpg ‑US ). The survey indicated that women held stronger opinions about

255-432: A car's colors than about the car itself (See below, Marrot at Renault ). Engineers spent the next five years developing the Dauphine. Within the first year, designers had created a ⅛th-scale clay model, studied the model's aerodynamics, built a full-scale clay model, studied wood interior mockups of the seating, instrument panel, and steering column – and built the first prototype in metal. Having largely finalized

306-527: A combination of autoroutes are shown with an added autoroute logo. Toll autoroutes are signalled with the word péage (toll or toll plaza). Unlike other motorway systems, there is no systematic numbering system, but there is a clustering of Autoroute numbers based on region. A1, A3, A4, A5, A6, A10, A13, A14, A15, A16 radiate clockwise from Paris, with A2, A11, and A12 branching from A1, A10, and A13, respectively. A7 begins in Lyon, where A6 ends. A8 and A9 begin from

357-595: A company-wide cost of $ 65,000 for each $ 15,000 NEV sold. In 2004, ZENN signed an agreement with EEStor who was seeking investment to produce ultra-capacitors that could replace batteries and revolutionize the EV industry. The well-known venture capital firm KPCB invested $ 3 million in EEStor in 2005 for approximately 20% ownership. EEStor is a private company, so the KPCB investment resulted in public investors being more interested in ZENN as

408-412: A member of the Dauphine team — "to rid Renault of their stuffy image. After decades of being dipped in various shades of black and grey, car bodies [would be] painted in happy pastels." Working with four others and after setting up a new test laboratory to measure fabric wear as well as paint wear and uniformity, Marrot proposed new body and interior colors. The new paint colors contrasted with those from

459-407: A vehicle on a carriage cannot move, motorways safety rules remains applicable: it is forbidden for a pedestrian to travel on the motorway by article 421-2 from the "Code de la route" law. For this reason, in case of accident or breakdown, it is advised to turn on hazard warning lights, wear high-visibility clothing , and go in a safer place such as the other side from the traffic barrier where there

510-440: A version of the 4CV's water-cooled Ventoux engine with capacity increased from 760 cc to 845 cc, and power increased from 19–32 hp (14–24 kW). According to Road & Track , the Dauphine accelerated from 0–110 km/h (0–68 mph) in 32 seconds. Engine cooling was facilitated by air intakes behind each rear door and a vented rear fascia. Heavier and 12 in (300 mm) longer than its predecessor,

561-559: A way to invest in the EEStor technology. Amendments to the 2004 agreement and a milestone in 2007 resulted in ZENN acquiring a 3.8% ownership of EEStor for $ 2.5 million. Exclusive rights to the technology in small vehicles were also acquired. EEStor stated delivery of the first units to ZENN would occur by the end of 2007 (see EEStor article). Delivery was also scheduled for 2008 and 2009. In 2007, 2008, and 2009, ZENN received $ 34 million from stock offerings and paid $ 10 million to EEStor in accordance with their 2007 agreement. ZENN now has

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612-438: A white steering wheel, rear bypassing (vs. roll down) windows, twin horns (town and country) selectable by the driver and twin open bins on the dashboard in lieu of gloveboxes. Exterior finishes included a range of pastel colors. Subsequent to its introduction, and as a promotion for both companies (and an early instance of co-branding ), Renault worked with Jacques Arpels of the prominent jewelers Van Cleef and Arpels to turn

663-412: Is a minimum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) in the leftmost lane. There is no minimum speed on the others lanes, however the speed must be adapted to the conditions and not constitute a hazard by being too slow. The autoroutes are designed to increase driver safety and allow for higher speed limits (130 km/h or 80 mph) than on regular roads (80 km/h or 50 mph) without increasing

714-527: Is an economy car manufactured by Renault from 1956 to 1967. Like its predecessor, the Renault 4CV , the Dauphine is a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive four-door sedan with three-box styling . More than two million Dauphines were built and the design was produced under licence by other manufacturers outside of France. Along with such cars as the Citroën 2CV , Volkswagen Beetle , Morris Minor , Mini and Fiat 600 ,

765-406: Is no traffic. Since 2008, it is clarified that warning triangles are no longer mandatory when they would endanger the driver of the disabled vehicle. The toll roads were granted as concessions to mixed-economy corporations; the free roads are directly administered by the national government. Tolls are either based on a flat-rate for access to the road or on the distance driven. The latter case

816-461: Is the most common for long distances; users take a ticket from an automatic machine when they enter the autoroute, and pay according to the distance when exiting; toll booths accept multiple payment methods. In 2005, the Villepin government proposed a controversial plan to sell all of the state's holdings in autoroute companies to private investors. Critics contend that the price announced is well below

867-648: The Arctic Circle in Norway, suspension testing in Sicily , weatherseal testing in then- Yugoslavia  – a total of more than two million kilometres of road and track testing. In December 1955, Pierre Bonin (director of the Flins Renault Factory ) and Fernand Picard presented the first example to leave the factory to Pierre Dreyfus , who had taken over the project after Lefaucheux's death. Renault officially revealed

918-506: The Citroën Ami 6 the Dauphine, though by that time, Renault had registered the name. At introduction, the Dauphine was positioned in the marketplace between the concurrently manufactured 4CV , and the much larger Frégate . The new model followed the 4CV's rear-engine, four-door three-box sedan format, while providing greater room and power and pioneering a new focus for Renault on interior and exterior color and design. The Dauphine used

969-510: The Flins factory where Renault would ultimately initiate its production (and which would later be named in Lefaucheux's honor). Renault considered the name Corvette for its new model, but to avoid a conflict with the recently launched Chevrolet Corvette instead chose a name that reinforced the importance of the project's predecessor, the 4CV, to France's postwar industrial rebirth. The final name

1020-603: The embargo date of March 1, 1956. The Dauphine debuted on March 6, 1956 at Paris' Palais de Chaillot with over twenty thousand people attending, two days before its official introduction at the 1956 Salon International de l'Auto in Geneva. In addition to its internal project number, Project 109, the prototype had been called by its unofficial model designation, the "5CV" . Lefaucheux, Renault's chairman, often simply called it La machine de Flins (the Flins machine) , referring to

1071-602: The 4-door body featured monocoque construction with "a pair of perimeter-shaped longitudinal box sections and substantial cross-bracing", but without the 4CV's rear-hinged suicide doors . Overall, Dauphine styling was a scaled down version of the Renault Frégate , itself a classic three-box design of the ponton genre . Renault received styling assistance for the Dauphine at the request of Lefaucheux in June 1953 from Luigi Segre of Carrozzeria Ghia , especially with integrating

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1122-608: The A7. The 20s are found in northern France. The 30s are found in eastern France. The 40s are found near the Alps. The 50s are in the southeast, near the French Riviera. The 60s are found in southern France. The 70s are found in the center of the country. The 80s are found in western France. Autoroutes are often given a name, even if these are not very used: The status of motorways in France has been

1173-529: The Dauphine at its Flins factory , with a car leaving the assembly line every 20–30 seconds, and with engines from the company's headquarters factory on Île Seguin in Billancourt , Paris. The highly automated Billancourt site could produce an engine every 28 seconds. The Dauphine was also manufactured worldwide: Argentina: Industrias Kaiser Argentina produced the Dauphine under the Renault License in

1224-628: The Dauphine by lobbying to revise the basis for taxation from engine-displacement to overall length, successfully damping Dauphine sales. 73,000 Dauphine's were manufactured in Italy. New Zealand: Dauphines were assembled under contract to W R Smallbone Ltd by Todd Motors' Petone plant from 1961 to 1967, according to Mark Webster's book Assembly. This lists 1964 output at 199 units, 384 in 1965, 354 in 1966 and 233 in 1967. Renault assembly shifted in 1967 to Campbell Industries in Thames and Campbell Motors took over

1275-622: The Dauphine enter production. He was killed in an automobile accident on February 11, 1955, when he lost control of his Renault Frégate on an icy road and was struck on the head by his unsecured luggage as the car rolled over. The Flins factory was renamed in his honor, and he was succeeded on the project by Pierre Dreyfus . By the end of testing, drivers had road tested prototypes in everyday conditions including dry weather and dusty condition testing in Madrid, engine testing in Bayonne , cold testing at

1326-811: The Dauphine pioneered the modern European economy car. Renault marketed numerous variants of the Dauphine, including a luxury version, the Renault Ondine , a decontented version as the Dauphine Teimoso (Brazil, 1965), sporting versions marketed as the Dauphine Gordini and the Ondine Gordini , the 1093 factory racing model, and the Caravelle/Floride , a Dauphine-based two-door coupé and two-door convertible. As Louis Renault 's successor, and as Renault's chairman, Pierre Lefaucheux continued to defy

1377-501: The Dauphine's platform. Italy: The Dauphine was manufactured under license by Alfa Romeo at its Portello, Milan facility from 1959 to 1964 and marketed as the Dauphine Alfa Romeo — featuring a Magneti-Marelli 12 volt electrical system, rather than 6 volt in the French model, and carrying a logo "Dauphine Alfa Romeo" or "Ondine Alfa Romeo." As a chief competitor to Alfa Romeo, Gianni Agnelli , Fiat's chairman, targeted

1428-622: The French Légion d'honneur (Legion of Honor) , and Marrot's textiles were later licensed by companies as diverse as Nike and Hayden-Harnett. The Renault Ondine, an upmarket variant of the Dauphine, was introduced in 1961 and was offered for two years. It featured a 4-speed transmission. The Gordini version was offered with a 4-speed transmission, four-wheel disc brakes from 1964 and increased horsepower, performance tuned by Amédée Gordini to 37 hp (27.2 kW). Both Dauphine Gordini and Ondine Gordini variants were offered. The 1093

1479-614: The French state and their administration to semi-private companies. Vinci controls around 4,380 km (2,720 mi) of motorway. The different companies are as follows: Only in the Brittany region do most of the autoroutes belong to the government. They are operated by the regional council and are free from tolls. France has the following speed limits for limited access roads classified as motorways: Limited access roads classified as express roads have lower speed limit (90 or 110 km/h, 55 or 70 mph). In normal conditions, there

1530-475: The Santa Isabel facility. 97,209 IKA Dauphines and Gordinis were produced as follows: Argentinian regulations required the manufacturers to incorporate extra bumper bars as seen here in the photographs of an Argentine unit. Australia: Renault (Australia) Pty Ltd assembled the Dauphine at Somerton , Victoria . Brazil: The Dauphine was produced under license by Willys-Overland , between 1959 and 1968, in

1581-554: The US motoring weekly The Motor called the Dauphine the "prettiest little four-seater in the world". Autoroutes of France The autoroute ( French: [otoʁut] , highway or motorway ) system in France consists largely of toll roads (76% of the total). It is a network of 11,882 km (7,383 mi) of motorways as of 2014. On road signs, autoroute destinations are shown in blue, while destinations reached through

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1632-530: The all-electric prototype went on display at the Toronto International Auto Show . They began using the body of a small, lightweight diesel-powered mini-car from Microcar . They initially acquired 10 Microcar vehicles without any internal combustion components attached (called a "glider"). The glider was fitted with lead-acid batteries and an electric motor to create a NEV product. For the fiscals years 2008 and 2009, ZENN sold 360 ZENN NEVs at

1683-494: The cars of postwar Paris were a uniformly somber parade, and wondering whether an artist could not help find fresh, vibrant colors. Marrot had attended Paris' prestigious L’école des Arts Décoratifs , had won a gold medal in 1925 at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes and had received a 1928 Prix Blumenthal . Convinced of her value to the project, Pierre Lefaucheux made her

1734-547: The competition, the Peugeot 203 and Simca Aronde , including bright colors with names such as Rouge Montijo , Jaune Bahamas , Bleu Hoggar and Blanc Réja . Marrot and her team then developed complementary interior fabrics for the seats and door panels, turning to Paris' large textile houses. Marrot also designed the Dauphine's emblem of three dolphins over a crown, which adorned the Dauphine's steering wheel and hood throughout its production. Later in life, Marrot went on to win

1785-521: The development of the Dauphine's successor, the R8 , which supplemented the Dauphine in 1962. Renault celebrated the end of Dauphine production with a limited edition of 1000 models. The last of the base-model Dauphines was produced in December 1966 and the last Gordini models were sold in December 1967. By this time the Dauphine had been excluded from the manufacturer's production lines and Dauphine assembly during

1836-488: The engine capacity was insufficient at only four CV (748 cc). The four-cylinder engine was redesigned to increase its capacity to 845 cc by increasing the bore to 58 mm, giving the car a new informal designation, the 5CV. By 1954 a second series of prototypes incorporated updates, using the older prototypes for crash testing. Lefaucheux followed the testing carefully, often meeting with his engineers for night testing to ensure secrecy, but did not live to see

1887-411: The engine's air intake at the rear doors. The Dauphine had a front-hinged trunklid, which housed the headlights and opened to a seven-cubic-foot trunk. The spare tire was carried horizontally under the front of the car, behind an openable panel below the bumper. The interior featured adjustable front bucket seats and a rear bench seat, a heater, painted dash matching the exterior, twin courtesy lamps,

1938-468: The exterior design, testing of the prototype began at Renault's facilities at Lardy , France  – by secrecy of night, on July 24, 1952. Using new laboratories and new specially designed tracks, engineers measured maximum speed, acceleration, braking and fuel consumption as well as handling, heating and ventilation, ride, noise levels and parts durability. Engineers tested parts by subjecting them to twisting and vibration stresses, and then redesigning

1989-626: The following versions: Dauphine: 23,887 units (1959–1965); "Gordini": 41,052 units (1962–1968); "Renault 1093": 721 units (1963–1965); "Teimoso" (simplified model, without accessories): 8,967 units (1965–1967). A total of 74,627 units was produced in Brazil. Israel: Kaiser-Frazer in Israel manufactured the Renault Dauphine 845 cc between 1957 and 1960 later in 1963 also the Hino Contessa 900 with

2040-507: The franchise in 1968. Campbell's also assembled the Hino Contessa from 1966 to 1968. When Renault assembly began in Australia in the late 1960s, Campbell's supplied jigs. Japan: In Japan, the Hino Contessa 900 used the Dauphine's platform under license. Spain: In Spain, Renault's subsidiary F.A.S.A built Dauphine FASA between 1958-1967 (125,912 units). United States: The Dauphine

2091-512: The model's existence to the press through L’Auto Journal and L’Action Automobile et Touristique in November 1955, referring to it simply by its unofficial model designation "the 5CV" . Advance press preview testing began on February 4, 1956, under the direction of Renault press secretary Robert Sicot, with six Dauphines shipped to Corsica . Journalists were free to drive anywhere on the island, while under contract not to release publication before

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2142-528: The model's final years was subcontracted, along with that of the Caravelle , to Brissonneau and Lotz at Creil . In 1956, according to a retrospective in The Independent , when the Dauphine debuted "it proved an almost instant success across the globe: the new coachwork was deemed highly elegant, the price was low, and the Dauphine's overall size was still suitable for congested Parisian streets." In 1957

2193-496: The parts for manufacture. By August 1953 head engineer Picard had an almond-green prototype delivered to Madrid for dry condition testing, ultimately experiencing only five flat tires and a generator failure after 2,200 km (1,400 mi). Subsequently, Lefaucheux ordered engineers to test a Dauphine prototype directly against a Volkswagen Beetle. The engineers determined that noise levels were too high, interior ventilation and door sealing were inadequate and most importantly,

2244-466: The postwar French Ministry of Industrial Production  – which had wanted to convert Renault solely to truck manufacture. Lefaucheux instead saw Renault's survival in automobiles and achieved considerable success with the 4CV, with over 500,000 produced by 1954. The Dauphine was born during a conversation with Lefaucheux and engineer Fernand Picard . The two agreed the 4CV was appropriate in its postwar context, but that French consumers would soon need

2295-427: The profit forecasts for these companies, and thus that the government sacrifices the future to solve current budgetary problems. The FM 107.7 radio coverage is available in 2017 on 8902 kilometres of the (ASFA) network. This is a list of highways that are updated in 107.7 FM every 15 minutes, live 24/7 (if the highway is said alone, it means that the station covers all around it): 99% of the privately managed network

2346-524: The risk of accidents. The safety features include: Fatalities on motorways have decreased between 2002 and 2016. On French motorways, in 2016, 121 fatal accidents are direct/initial accidents representing 82% of fatal accidents, 16 (11%) fatal accidents occurs after a previous accident, and 10 (7%) fatal accidents occur after an incident. Three scenarios catch two-thirds of initial accidents: Most of fatalities occur by night. Several factor of accidents are more highly probable by night in proportion to

2397-412: The subject of debate through years, from their construction until recently. Originally, the autoroutes were built by private companies mandated by the French government and followed strict construction rules as described below. They are operated and maintained by mixed companies held in part by private interests and in part by the state. Those companies hold concessions, which means that autoroutes belong to

2448-477: The traffic, although inattentiveness remains risky during the day. Young drivers between 18 and 34 years old represent 19% of motorway drivers, but they are overrepresented in fatal motor vehicle collisions and are involved in more than half of fatal accidents. Although pedestrians are forbidden on motorways in conformity with the Vienna Convention , they are still sometimes killed on motorways. In case

2499-410: Was a factory racing model limited edition of 2,140 homologated , which were tuned to 55 hp (41 kW) and featured a twin-barrel carburettor , four-speed manual transmission and tachometer, had a top speed of 140 km/h (87 mph), and were produced in 1962 and 1963. All were painted white with two thin blue stripes running front to back along the hood, roof and trunk. Renault manufactured

2550-475: Was attributed to a dinner conversation at l'auberge de Port-Royal , chaired by Fernand Picard, where either Jean-Richard Deshaies or Marcel Wiriath said "the 4CV is the Queen of the road, the new arrival can only be the Dauphine. Dauphine is the feminine form of the French feudal title of Dauphin , the heir apparent to the throne. Ironically, both Robert Opron and Flaminio Bertoni of Citroën had wanted to name

2601-432: Was the base vehicle for the electric Henney Kilowatt . Among the aftermarket options for the Dauphine was a supercharger from United States company Judson Research & Mfg. Co.; this sold in 1958 for US$ 165, and was designed to be installed in about two hours without any chassis or body modifications. By the early 1960s, Renault sought to avoid the single-model-culture that had nearly destroyed Volkswagen, accelerating

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