The now-discontinued Renault Twizy was known for its futuristic styling, scissor doors and unconventional seating layout, but never for outright performance. No one has ever accused it of being fast. That, naturally, made it the perfect candidate for something irresponsible.

Enter the UK-based mad scientists at DM Performance, who looked at this humble heavy quadricycle and decided it needed more chaos. Their solution was simple in theory and mildly unhinged in practice: rip out the weedy motor and transplant the heart of the world’s most powerful electric motocross bike.

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The project started with a full teardown. Out went the factory-fit 17 hp (13 kW) motor. In came the powertrain from a Stark Varg, effectively the electric equivalent of a 450cc gasoline engine. The result is 80 hp (60 kW), a staggering 396 percent jump in output that completely rewrites the Twizy’s modest résumé.

DM Performance / YouTube

But torque is the real headline here. The Stark Varg motor is rated at a frankly absurd 692 lb-ft (938 Nm). For context, the Lamborghini Aventador in the opening photo delivers 690 hp and 509 lb-ft (690 Nm), which means this pint-sized French creation is packing nearly double the torque of a V12 supercar!

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It actually gets wilder. The supercharged 6.2-liter V8 in a 2027 Ram TRX produces 680 lb-ft (921 Nm). Now picture that sort of twist in a vehicle that weighs roughly ten times less than the Ram, and you begin to understand just how outrageous this thing really is.

Engineering The Swap

Making it all fit required serious surgery. DM Performance cut away the original rear cradle to accommodate the new motor and engineered a custom chain-drive system to replace the Twizy’s direct-drive transaxle.

DM Performance / YouTube

To cope with the tidal wave of torque, they modified the original differential with a custom stainless steel casing and high-pressure grease to mimic the behavior of a limited-slip diff. A set of Maxpeedingrods coilovers was also installed to reduce the risk of an impromptu rollover.

Finally, the French EV received another transplant. The Stark Varg battery pack weighs 32 kg (70 lbs), significantly lighter than the Twizy’s 100 kg (220 lbs) battery, while offering slightly higher capacity and the ability to discharge massive amounts of energy for high-performance motors.

Smoke, Speed, And Proof

The unique “Stark Twizy” proved its performance credentials by winning a 100 mph (161 km/h) drag race against a more powerful Audi S1 Quattro hot hatch. The builders also took it for a drift session and even performed donuts around a Lamborghini Aventador.

A History Of Madness

This isn’t the first time DM Performance has turned a tiny EV from the heavy quadricycle segment into a monster. They previously completed a wild Citroen Ami using similar Stark Varg internals, though they noted the rear-wheel-drive layout of the Twizy made it a much better platform for hooning.

Electric swaps not your thing? They have also created a turbocharged Hayabusa-swapped Tuk Tuk tricycle. That machine weighs 460 kg (1,014 lbs) and produces a frankly terrifying 305 hp (227 kW / 309 PS) on the dyno.

Renault’s chapter in electric micro-mobility might have started with big dreams, but it is ending rather quietly. The French automaker has pulled the plug on the Mobilize Beyond Automotive sub-brand, effectively killing off the Duo and Bento urban EVs before they had a real shot at proving themselves in the market.

Mobilize was set up in 2021 as a way for Renault to explore “opportunities beyond automotive manufacturing.” The division introduced the EZ-1 concept that same year, which later developed into the Duo and Bento in 2022. These designs eventually became production-ready in 2024.

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The fully electric heavy quadricycle and its commercial counterpart shared much of their design language, character, and dimensions with the discontinued Renault Twizy, which came before rivals like the Citroën Ami, Opel Rocks Electric, and Fiat Topolino.

The key difference was that the Mobilize-branded models weren’t meant to be sold outright, but instead offered exclusively through subscription-based programs.

End of the Experiment

Just a year after the production versions were revealed, and before they even reached the UK market, Renault pulled the plug not only on the vehicles themselves but on the entire Mobilize brand. The company has now confirmed that Mobilize is “no longer a standalone entity.”

This decision also brings an end to Mobilize’s car-sharing services in Milan, with Madrid’s program to be phased out by 2026. According to Renault, these discontinued activities either lack long-term profitability or don’t align with the group’s strategic direction.

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Even so, not all traces of Mobilize are being erased. Renault still sees clear value in EV charging infrastructure, describing it as a core element for customer satisfaction and loyalty. The company believes these services help drive EV adoption, and they’re not going anywhere.

What Remains of Mobilize?

To that end, Mobilize’s energy-related services will be folded into Renault Group’s commercial portfolio and overseen by Chief Growth Officer Fabrice Cambolive. The goal is to integrate them more closely with the company’s broader electrification strategy.

Among the tangible results of Mobilize’s efforts are access to over a million charging points across Europe for Renault Group drivers, a target of 100 ultra-fast charging hubs in France and another 100 in Italy by the end of 2026, around 90,000 active Charge Pass users, and the introduction of a bi-directional charging service (V2G) for commercial customers.

Despite the wind-down, Renault insists that Mobilize served its purpose, as a space to test new ideas and expand the company’s capabilities in unfamiliar territory. The brand helped surface opportunities with real potential, while clearing the deck of concepts that no longer made strategic sense.