The Renault Zoe Z.E. is scheduled for production in 2012, but the “spa” concept car has  a curious partner: L’Oreal’s Biotherm skin care department. The Zoe Z.E. is “aimed at people making daily local trips and looking for a car that brings them health and wellbeing,” according to a Renault press release.

The all-electric, zero-emissions car has a roof with an intelligent membrane to insulate against heat and cold (both of which can wreak havoc on a person’s  complexion) and photovoltaic cells to capture the sun’s energy (so drivers can glow with eco-self-satisfaction). And, in case you think I’m making fun, here’s another line from the press release: “ZOE Z.E. boasts the finest in air filtration and purification technology to fully protect the health of passengers and keep their skin young-looking.”

The ZOE Z.E. does have some practical tech bits. Standard recharging takes 4 to 8 hours, depending on the voltage at the socket. It’s capable of fast charging in 20 minutes at special charging stations, and it uses a “Quickdrop” system for swapping out battery packs at exchange stations.

• Team Hydrophi Ford 500 PHI Ride
• Team Future Vehicle Technologies eVaro
• Team Edison 2 Very Light Car
• Team EVI Wave 2
• Team Tango
• Team Optamotive Surge
• Team Aptera 2e

Most of the dates are on the alterna-fuel lovin’ West Coast, with stops in Detroit to rub it in and Tennessee, where Nissan has its U.S. headquarters.

The sked:

Southern California
Los Angeles: Nov. 13-17
Orange County: Nov. 18
San Diego: Nov. 19-21

Northern California
Berkeley/Walnut Creek: Nov. 23-24
San Francisco: Nov. 25-29
Santa Rosa: Dec. 1
Sacramento: Dec. 1
San Jose: Dec. 3-6

Pacific Northwest
Seattle: Dec. 8-12
Vancouver, Canada: Dec. 14-15
Portland, Ore.: Dec. 17-23

Southwest
Phoenix/Tucson: Dec. 30-Jan. 5
Las Vegas: Jan. 6

Midwest/East Coast
Detroit: Jan. 11-13
Knoxville/Chattanooga, Tenn.: Jan. 16
Middle Tennessee: Jan. 19-21
Washington, D.C.: Jan. 26-28
Raleigh, N.C.: Jan. 29
Orlando: Feb. 1-2

Texas
Houston: Feb. 5-6

New York
New York City: Feb. 9-14

Let’s start with the electric vehicles: After Energy Secretary Steven Chu eliminated funding for hydrogen fuel from his budget, the Senate has reinstated it for the department’s 2010-2011 budget. Chu prefers straight-up battery electric vehicles for the future of greener transportation, but he says he’ll work with Congress on hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric vehicles.

Speaking of electric vehicles, you may have noticed that many of the EVs on the road today, especially neighborhood electric vehicles, have three wheels instead of four. Thanks to some heavy lobbying by Aptera and its three-wheeled brethren, Congress has extended research and development loans to manufacturers of safe, high-mileage vehicles, even if they are short a wheel.

Requirements for the loan:

• Vehicles must be fully enclosed
• Vehicles must meet all the same safety standards as conventional vehicles
• Vehicles must carry two adults
• Vehicles must average 75 mpg or equivalent

Daimler says that the electric Smart Fortwo will go into large-scale production at a plant in Hambach, France, as early as next month.

The first run of 1000 electric Smarts will be built in November 2009 and delivered to customers by the end of the year (Merry Christmas!). The car will be at full production and in Smart car dealerships by 2012, said Daimler Chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche.

Specs for the new electric Smart Fortwo:

• Lithium-ion battery housed between the axles
• 30 kW motor in the rear
• 88 lb-ft of torque from the get-go
• 80-mile range
• 0-62 mph in 6.5 seconds
• Max speed limited to 100 km/h (62 mph)

The idea, according to a press release, is to not get swallowed up in a sea of small electric vehicles. Rather, ZENN will develop the powerplants for those cars. They’ll even make the ZENNergy drive available for aftermarket conversions of gasoline or hybrid cars to electric power.

While the EPA is working this out, the New York Times “Wheels” blog asked a few folks in the know what they thought the fuel economy rating should look like on the window sticker. A few of their suggestions are below; what would you the potential alt-fuel buyer like to see? Tell us in the comments.

• ETV Motors of Israel wants three pieces of information: the all-electric range, the electric efficiency in miles per 10 kW hours, and gasoline fuel efficiency for plug-in hybrids
• Think! of Norway wants to measure energy usage during a standard driving cycle, maybe with a star rating
• Coda Automotive prefers to see the battery range and a statement about the car’s emissions-free status

When the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show opens later this month, Mitsubishi will have 16 vehicles on display, including to new electric vehicle concepts. Of the remaining 14 Mitsubishis at the show, 10 are current production models that qualify for eco-tax deductions in Japan. That leaves four gas-guzzling, carbon-spewing vehicles.

But, to go back to the future, let’s take a look at the Mitsubishi PX-MiEV and i-MiEV Cargo:

Mitsubishi PX-MiEV

• Plug-in hybrid system
• 115 mpg
• Super All-Wheel Control and Electric-Powered Active Yaw Control for better performance
• Two motors, one at each axle
• Smart-grid ready

Mitsubishi i-MiEV Cargo

• Adds rear space to the current i-MiEV microcar
• Cube-shaped luggage space with a flat floor for maximum usable space
• Overall height rises to just over 6 feet

Images courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors.

Bill Dube’s Killacycle has been setting electric motorcycle speed records on the dragstrip for quite some time now, but Dube emailed me this morning to make sure I knew about his latest zero-emissions feat: 7.864 seconds at 169 mph. How fast is that, exactly? As fast as a Porsche Boxster convertible with the pedal pressed all the way to the floor. And it’s fast enough to make KillaCycle the fastest electric vehicle in the world.

If that’s not fast enough, Dube reports that the KillaCycle team has got its hands on the most powerful batteries on the planet. They’re also reducing the weight of they bike and increasing horsepower to 560 hp — more than a Ferrari F430.

Congrats to the KillaCycle team on raising the bar for EVs even higher.

Photo of Scotty Pollachek riding KillaCycle at Portland International Raceway in July 2009 by Kristen Hall-Geisler.

Arcimoto of Eugene, Oregon, revealed its three-wheeled electric vehicle last week, called the Pulse. It may look like low-speed neighborhood electric vehicles of recent years, but this little guy can go a bit fast and a bit farther than many three-wheeled EVs.

The Arcimoto Pulse is a two-seater with a range of 50-100 miles, depending on terrain and speed, and a top speed of 55 mph. It can charge at a standard U.S. 110-volt outlet in six hours.

The car isn’t quite ready for the road yet, but Arcimoto is taking preorders. $500 will hold a place in line for a car that’s expected to come in under $20,000 when it rolls off the assembly line in Eugene in Fall 2010. If you take a look at the Pulse and decide it’s not for you, the company will refund $450 of the deposit. If it is for you, and you want to trick it all out with more power and a schmancy radio, they can do that, too.