Renault shifts to hydrogen-fuelled models
French carmaker is betting on gas-powered vehicles for the mass market with its relaunch of the Scenic
Renault is racing to catch up with its competitors while also nursing heavy losses having exited its Russian business
RENAULT is bringing Europe’s first hydrogen-powered family car to the market and promising it will travel 500 miles on a single charge.
The French carmaker will relaunch its popular Scenic model as an electric vehicle in 2024 and then plans to add a hydrogen power source to it by 2030.
Electric cars can last for up to 300 miles before they need to be plugged in, but Renault estimates that by the end of the decade hydrogen will power cars for up to 500 miles.
However, the UK only has 11 hydrogen fuelling stations for cars, most of which are in the south of England. Another four are on the way, but buyers are likely to be wary of making a commitment to the fuel before more are available.
While many carmakers have made hydrogen-powered prototypes, most manufacturers have abandoned plans to make them for sale, instead pouring their resources into batteries.
Hydrogen, which burns in oxygen to produce water, is seen as a good way to fuel heavy goods vehicles because of the weight of batteries needed to turn them electric. As a car fuel, it has struggled to gain traction because of the current expense of making green hydrogen compared to using green electricity to charge a battery.
Mass-market hydrogen-powered cars can only be bought from Japanese and Korean carmakers. Korea’s Hyundai makes the Nexo, a hydrogen-powered SUV, while Toyota has made the Mirai since 2014.
Backers of the technology envisage hydrogen-fuelling stations using electricity to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, manufacturing the gas at the pump.
Renault shelved the Scenic in 2019 as part of a cost-cutting drive and gave its larger Grand Scenic variant the chop a year later. But it remained popular with buyers and saw the highest price growth among used cars with a 61pc gain in average asking price in the year to April, according to Autotrader, setting buyers back £8,107.
The new version will have a 75pc smaller carbon footprint through the use of recycled materials and a smaller battery, Renault said.
The French carmaker is racing to catch up with its competitors while also nursing heavy losses having exited its Russian business in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this week, Renault agreed to hand over its 68pc share in Lada maker Avtovaz to Nami, a state-owned car research body, while the City of Moscow will receive Renault Russia.
The assets changed hands for two roubles, or just over two pence, in an effective nationalisation of the brands in Russia. Renault has the option to buy Avtovaz back in the next six years, which chief executive Luca de Meo has hinted is a possibility.
The deal will be a painful one for Renault, as the carmaker relied on Russia for about 18pc of global sales, making the nation its second-biggest market after France. Its Russian assets were valued at €2.2bn (£1.9bn) on its balance sheet, and it will take a charge on selling them later this year, it said. It entered Russia in 1998, agreeing to take over a car plant in Moscow before buying an initial stake in Avtovaz in 2008.