Renault’s vision Big plug-in and EV assault coming
Firm to expand electric range with hybrid variants and new models
Half of Renault’s model range will have plug-in hybrid variants by 2022. Eight electric vehicles will also be launched by then, comprising five new models and three refreshes of existing Renault EVS.
Renault said its electric range will cover all key segments, meaning that EV versions of the Captur, Mégane, Kadjar, Koleos and Talisman are likely, in addition to the existing Zoe supermini and Twizy quadricycle. The Zoe and another of these cars will be volume-selling ‘pillar models’, said the firm.
Renault also plans to halve its diesel offerings by 2022 and will reduce its diesel engine families from three to one. Today’s engines are all dci units of 1.5-litre, 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre capacity, although Renault has yet to decide which will be culled.
The announcements were made as part of Renault’s fiveyear Drive the Future plan.
The strategy’s overarching theme is electric motoring. Renault revealed that a bespoke EV platform would be shared across the Renaultnissan-mitsubishi Alliance, underpinning small to mediumsized vehicles. An all-electric Volkswagen Golf-sized SUV will be one of the first to use the platform and will be launched initially in China.
Two further SUVS to sit alongside the Captur, Kadjar and Koleos will be launched too, but will not be pure electric.
The shared platform is set to bring down the price of EV production dramatically, according to Renault’s senior vice president of electric vehicles, Gilles Normand. A 30% reduction in the cost of production is expected, with R&D costs for Renault also likely to drop.
The subsequent increased production volume will effectively drive down the cost of EV battery packs by 30% and new electric motor generation by 20%, according to Normand.
This, he said, would make the cost of owning EVS and internal combustion engine-powered cars the same by around 2020, and cheaper than ICE cars shortly after.
The new generation of Renault EVS will have ranges of more than 373 miles on the NEDC cycle – which translates to about 249 miles of real-world motorway range – according to the company.
The new cars will be able to recharge around 143 miles on the NEDC cycle in 15 minutes. A flat-floor layout will also herald packaging benefits.
Renault’s electric models will be equipped with the highest levels of autonomy and autonomous tech in the brand’s range. Over-the-air updates are also being targeted as key features of EVS.