Renault eWays

Renault has presented the cornerstones of its electrical realignment. The new models benefit from advances in battery development. The batteries are becoming more sustainable.

Car manufacturer Renault wants to increasingly rely on vehicles with electric drives in the coming years. By 2025, they should account for around 65 percent and five years later 90 percent of total sales. Renault is investing in the bundling of its three plants in northern France, in a new megafactory for batteries, the development of a circular economy and new technology for new electric models that should do a lot better and also cost less than current electric cars. 

Not a new path but a continuation

“We know what we're doing!” Defends Renault boss Luca de Meo the presentation of his plan. In fact, the car company can rely on in-depth expertise in the field of e-mobility and can point to 400.000 e-cars sold that have already driven 10 billion kilometers purely electrically. In this respect, the e-mobility orientation called eWays does not represent a sudden upheaval but rather the continuation of a long-term strategy. Renault has already invested 2009 billion euros in e-mobility between 2021 and 5 and wants to spend twice as much money for the conversion in the coming years. Renault wants to sell 2024 new electric cars by 400.000, and their number is expected to rise to one million by 2030.

The most important foundation for the much stronger focus on e-mobility will be the two new electric platforms CMF-EV and CMF-B EV, on which ten new fully electric models will be based by 2025 - seven of them with the Renault logo, three as Alpine. Vehicles in the C and D segment will be on the new CMF platform, such as the E variant of the compact model Megane, which has already been presented as a concept and the series version of which will be launched next year. Renault promises good performance, plenty of space in the interior thanks to the thinnest underfloor battery on the market, and ranges of 450 kilometers suitable for everyday use thanks to the 60 kWh battery. Future models based on CMF should enable a range of up to 580 kilometers. Two sporty models from Alpine Cars will also be based on the new CMF-EV platform. For battery technology, Renault relies on performance cells from its partner LG Chem, which it plans to produce in a second generation with higher energy density and shorter charging times from 2024.

Long range for little money?

The CMF-B platform, on the other hand, will be the basis for models in the A and B segments, which should make e-mobility more affordable and generally popular for everyone from 2024 thanks to falling battery costs. In the new edition of the Renault 2024 announced for 5, which will also be the successor to the Zoe, the price for one kilowatt hour of battery capacity is expected to drop to 100 US dollars thanks to standardization of the cell architecture, among other things. The R5, announced as "affordable", should allow a range of 400 kilometers. Renault is planning further models on the CMF-B platform, such as a successor to the Renault 4. By 2030, Renault expects the introduction of a solid-state battery with costs of even less than $ 80 per kWh. This would cut battery costs in half within 10 years, while their energy density continues to rise. Renault expects further advantages from the introduction of solid-state batteries, because their performance does not suffer from heat, which means that a performance cooling system can be dispensed with. In addition, solid-state batteries should not be flammable. 

More efficient drive

In addition to battery cells, Renault also wants to produce the technology and the drive itself in the future and optimize them together with the battery management system. This is about cost savings in motors and power electronics. At the same time, the energy efficiency of the entire drive system should increase. For 2025-26 Renault is planning, among other things, an all-in-one drive system that, thanks to the bundling of important components such as the engine and power electronics, will be significantly more compact, efficient and cost-effective than current technology. 

Renault wants to be more committed to improving the circular economy, especially with batteries. Batteries from disused e-cars are to be increasingly recycled in stationary energy storage systems. After this secondary use, the batteries are recycled, with Renault wanting to achieve a higher return rate for the raw materials than is currently the case. The recycling rate is currently 60 percent, and in the future 80 percent of the minerals will be returned to the cycle, which will then be available for the production of new battery cells.

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