Paris 2010: Renault Twizy charges the stage

Believe it or not, Renault says the car you see above, known – seriously, we're not making this stuff up – as the Twizy, is a production vehicle. We hesitate to call it a car, or a motorcycle, or a scooter... it's really sort of a four-wheeled covered scooter, and it's powered by an electric drivetrain.

There will apparently be two different versions of the Twizy available, one sporting nine horsepower that can hit a top speed of 28 miles per hour and one with 20 horses that can hit 47 mph. A three-and-a-half-hour charge will result in 60 miles of range from the onboard lithium ion battery pack.

Renault is currently taking pre-orders on the Twizy, along with two other electric vehicles, and it will have the vehicle on the market in Europe by the end of 2011. Pricing is expected to be similar to the Piaggio MP3, and the rental charges for the battery pack will be covered in the Twizy's payment.