Renault unveils EV Megane E-Tech Electric, offers up to 470km range
Renault’s newest electric car is based on the CMF-EV platform jointly developed with Nissan and Mitsubishi, and will offer 40 and 60 kWh variants.
Renault’s all-electric Megane E-Tech. Images: Renault Group
Renault’s Megane was first introduced 25 years ago, and was essentially a major facelift of the Renault 19. The Megane name has adorned myriad body styles and designs, from the controversial Renault Megane II, to the brilliant Megane IV RS Trophy.
The Megane name certainly gained worldwide recognition during its time in rallying, as it was one of the most powerful Group A cars in the WRC. Today though, the Megane E-Tech Electric (Megane E-Tech from here on in) debuts at Munich’s IAA Mobility show, aiming to combine past performance pedigree, with traditional Renault practicality and environmental credentials.
Based upon the Common Module Family - EV (CMF-EV) platform designed by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, The Megan E-Tech will offer a front-mounted electrically excited synchronous motor (EESM) which Renault claims does not require rare earth metals in its fabrication.
The engine is compact and impressively weighs 10 percent less than the engine currently used in the ZOE, coming in at 145 kg (clutch included). Two motor variants will be available: a 96 kW (130 hp) with 250 Nm, and 160 kW (218 hp) with 300 Nm. Renault claims a 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of 7.4 seconds; presumably that applies to the latter.
Renault has also been refining its battery technology, with the Megane E-Tech receiving either a 40 or 60 kWh pack, with 300 km (186 mi) and 470 km (292 mi) WLTP range respectively. Renault again claims great improvements over previous cell technology, with the lithium-ion NMC batteries by LG Chem using less cobalt and more nickel for greater energy density (20 percent greater than the ZOE), and offering a 40 percent weight reduction.
The Megane E-Tech can charge at up to 130 kW on DC rapid chargers, and up to 22 kW on a three-phase 32A AC charger.
View EV Brief’s full image gallery of the Megane E-Tech Electric
Renault ElectriCity set to become largest electric vehicle production centre in Europe
Renault has announced the creation of a new electric vehicle production centre, grouping together three of its sites across the communes of Douai, Maubeuge and Ruitz in the Hauts-de-France region of Northern France.
Renault has announced the creation of a new electric vehicle production centre, grouping together three of its sites across the communes of Douai, Maubeuge and Ruitz in the Hauts-de-France region of Northern France.
The Renault ElectriCity plans to produce up to 400,000 vehicles per year, making it the largest EV production centre in Europe. Renault claims over 700 additional jobs will be created by 2025, including within a training centre and on-site university.
Renault Group and the representative trade unions have signed an agreement to bring nearly 5,000 employees within the single ElectriCity entity. Renault Group will also participate in innovation initiatives in partnership with start-ups to support future developments in the automotive world by participating in ‘Incubator’ type initiatives.
The Hauts-de-France region was chosen due to its technical and R&D know-how and experience in the electric car value chain. Renault Group will form partnerships with universities to set up training schemes to equip students with the skills necessary to work with next-generation EVs.
"I am very proud to have contributed to the creation of Renault ElectriCity, a symbol of Renault's know-how and technological innovation, and to participate to the enhancement of the economic and social attractiveness of Hauts-de-France in Europe. This agreement, signed with all the trade unions, is proof that the commitment of employees, constructive social dialogue and a strong local presence are key to setting up a robust and attractive industrial model," said Luciano Biondo, Director of Renault ElectriCity.
Key elements
Douai
The plant will produce its first electric vehicle, Mégane E-Vision, from 2021 on the Alliance's new modular CMF-EV platform
On the same platform, Douai will be assigned a new C-segment vehicle
A new electric platform dedicated to the industrialisation of B-segment vehicles will be installed
Maubeuge
A pioneer and leader in the electric van segment in Europe for 10 years with Kangoo Electric, the site manufactures New Kangoo, New Kangoo Van for Renault and its partners Mercedes and Nissan and will produce New Kangoo
E-Tech Electric in 2022
In addition, the plant will be assigned other variants of New Kangoo
Ruitz
The plant will host a new electrical components manufacturing activity
Renault teases Mégane E-Tech Electric ahead of pre-production testing this summer
The Mégane goes all-electric, taking its design cues from the Renault Mégane eVision Concept. This next-generation model will be based on Renault-Nissan’s Common Module Family EV platform (CMF-EV) which debuts underneath the upcoming Nissan Ariya SUV.
Renault’s Mégane has been on sale since 1995, but 2022 marks possibly the most dramatic shift in the French marque’s small car line-up as the Mégane goes all-electric. Taking its design cues from the Renault Mégane eVision Concept, the next-generation model will be based on Renault-Nissan’s Common Module Family EV platform (CMF-EV) which debuts underneath the upcoming Nissan Ariya SUV.
The Mégane E-Tech Electric features a 160kW (217hp) e-motor and a 60kWh battery pack enabling up to 451 km (280 mi) of range on the WLTP cycle.
Pre-production engineering test vehicles will commence testing on public roads in France this summer.
There’s no word from Renault Australia on whether the Mégane E-Tech would make it down under; local importer Ateco Group pulled the Zoe EV from the Australian market in 2020 due to poor sales numbers, shipping delays, lacklustre dealer enthusiasm and limited government support for zero-emissions vehicles.
Meet the Dacia Spring - an electric crossover you can purchase in Europe for a ridiculous price
If one needed proof that European manufacturers are getting serious about decarbonising their passenger car fleets, look no further than the Dacia Spring.
The Dacia Spring is the cheapest BEV on sale in Europe
If one needed proof that European manufacturers are getting serious about decarbonising their passenger car fleets, look no further than the Dacia Spring. A Romanian manufacturer dating from 1966, Automobile Dacia is now wholly-owned by Groupe Renault, and produces a number of passenger and commercial vehicles with an emphasis on practicality and price.
The price of the Dacia Spring varies by country; in Germany it lists for €20,490, in the UK for £14,500 and in Romania for €18,100. Factor in electric vehicle/environmental grants available, and those numbers drop to €10,920 (€-9,570) in Germany, £12,000 (-£2,500) in the UK, and €8,100 (€-10,000) in Romania. Yes, with a generous state grant for environmental vehicles in Romania under the Rabla Plus (Clunker Plus) scheme, this Dacia costs less than some two-wheeled vehicles.
So what’s under the skin? There’s a 33 kW (45 PS) front-mounted electric motor with 125 Nm (92 lb ft) of torque, a 26.8 kWh battery and a compact crossover body that seats five. Before you start decrying the range and performance of those specifications, there’s one more number to consider: Curb weight. At 921 kg (2,030 lb) The Dacia Spring is incredibly light for an electric car, and therefore provides acceptable performance for a city car, and provides a useful range of 225 km (139 miles) on the WLTP combined cycle. That’s perfectly fine for a few days driving around town.
We believe that the future of electric vehicles may look something like the Dacia Spring. It will require a mindset-shift in consumers, but we will no longer be looking for a one-car-fits-all solution, and the Dacia spring is a perfect city car/car-share prospect. The nature of electrification and battery technology means that less mass simply means greater efficiency and range, and therefore a market will emerge for smaller, lighter (and cheaper) BEVs that are designed exclusively for commuting. According to the European Parliament Resolution on Sustainable Urban Mobility, by 2050, 82 percent of Europeans will commute outside an area in which they live (though this may change post COVID-19). Obviously, public transport is key to moving greater numbers of people more efficiently, but Europeans—and Australians and Americans—love their cars, and cheap, efficient urban commuter vehicles will be key to the phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles this decade.
Groupe Renault Launches Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) Vehicle Roadmap with Seven Fully Electric Vehicles by 2025
French Automaker Groupe Renault has heralded their new strategic product roadmap with the unveiling of the Renault 5 electric prototype. While strictly for show at this stage, the concept captures the original car’s boxy and angular aesthetic beautifully, but adds a taught muscularity with sharply-creased lines giving the R5 the appearance of a tight skin wrapped over the body.
Images: Groupe Renault
French Automaker Groupe Renault has heralded their new strategic product roadmap with the unveiling of the Renault 5 electric prototype. While strictly for show at this stage, the concept captures the original car’s boxy and angular aesthetic beautifully, but adds a taught muscularity with sharply-creased lines giving the R5 the appearance of a tight skin wrapped over the body.
Many of us growing up in the 80’s and 90’s fondly remember the screaming mid-mounted Renault 5 Turbo carving up the international rally scene, and Renault has captured and re-made elements of that car beautifully.
Renault claims that these styling elements are more than nostalgia, rather they hide very high tech features. The bonnet air intake hides the charging hatch (that paintwork is going to get scratched in no time from the charging cable, but let’s allow Renault their fun), the rear lights include aero flaps, and the fog lamps in the bumper are daytime running lights. The side guard and wheels feature the numeral ‘5’, and the front end and the textile roof are supposedly drawn from the world of furniture.
The front and rear logos light up, bringing the car ‘to life’. The French flag in the rear-view mirrors to underline the “invented in France” side of the vehicle, the headrest lights and the name displayed on the small transparent screen on the dashboard, invite you to hop in for a ride.
A shift from the Carlos Ghosn era
In a marked departure from leadership under disgraced former boss Carlos Ghosn, Chief Executive Luca di Meo has told the Financial Times the company is undergoing a strategic shift from “volume to value”, and that cutting the number of its vehicle platforms, overhauling its factories, and sharing 80% of components with Nissan vehicles will lead to a 3 per cent operating margin by 2023, rising to 5 per cent by 2025.
Renault will aim to evolve into a brand of three tranches, as outlined below:
- a Tech brand, with an ecosystem approach that aims at creating world-leading, next-generation mobility OEMs and suppliers. This ecosystem called “Software République” will allow Renault, other founding members and future partners to develop joined expertise, build European know-how and defend our sovereignty in key technologies from big data to electronics. It will also allow Renault to equip its vehicles with leading artificial intelligence and cyber-security systems.
- a Service brand, offering the best connectivity and high-tech services embedded natively in our vehicles. In 2022, Renault will be introducing My Link, a new infotainment system with Google Built-in. Renault will be the first carmaker to bring Google services to mass-market cars.
Becoming more intelligent everyday, our vehicles will gain value over time. They will also live longer. Further, Renault will try to break the consumerist cycle and generate value up until vehicles’ end-of-life, all thanks to its Re-Factory in Flins (France). The plant will recondition more than a 100,000 used cars per year, repurpose Diesel LCV and convert them into biogas and pure EV. Renault also has a clear advantage when it comes to second life and end of life of batteries. The control of these parts of the value chain has the potential to generate new business cases and value.
- a Clean Energy brand, becoming a leader of the energy transition. Challenging leaders on the hybrid markets thanks to its revolutionary E-TECH technology, Renault will sustain its leadership on the electric market with new families of products based on our two dedicated electric platforms CMF-EV and CMF-B EV. The brand will also offer market-ready, end-to-end hydrogen solutions for LCVs. The target is to reach the greenest mix in European market.
Where this really interests us is is that Renault plans to double-down on both electrification and mix improvement. With a new line up of vehicles on new platforms sharing a greater number of components, Renault plans 7 new all-electric models by 2025. Whether the company can achieve this remains to be seen; Renault and Nissan have both been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, and Renault plans to cut investment in electrification from 10 per cent of revenue to 8 per cent from this year.
Read the full press release here: RENAULT’S “ NOUVELLE VAGUE ”
