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A110 E-ternité: follows the trend of increasingly electrified modernity

“I want to electrify Alpine so that it inserts itself into eternity”

This comment was made by Luca de Meo shortly after his arrival at the Renault Group. The challenge was accepted by Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine, and the brand's engineers. In less than a year, a true elite troop fulfilled the audacious challenge and went even further, presenting a convertible model.

Fully electric, the A110 E-ternité is the result of this exploratory work, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the berlinette. Serving as a link between a prestigious past and a 100% electric future, it represents the work that Alpine is currently doing to develop its new model range.

An impossible challenge?...Committed to electric powertrains for over 10 years, Renault Group is a pioneer in this type of powertrain, in addition to having accumulated a wealth of valuable experience in all areas of the automotive industry. This meant that the Alpine teams could soon start their reflections in a very natural way around the topic.

The arrival of Luca de Meo and the announcement of a 100% electric range at Alpine allowed for a clear direction for the teams' work, as well as an opportunity to work on an electric model in an exploratory way. In the best ‘restomod’ spirit, the A110 is the adaptation of a classic to current times, becoming a true laboratory for these research works, to make the connection between a prestigious past and a future with great ambitions.

With the clear aim of electrifying Alpine's next models and - why not? - starting with the Alpine A110, a sports legend recognized for its lightness and agility, everything was made from a realistic budget.

For some, it was “an unresolvable contradiction”, but for the brand’s passionate teams, it was “a challenge worthy of Alpine”.

Technology and innovation at the heart of the project... The guidelines were simple: electrify the A110, with equivalent performance, balance and agility compared to the thermal version, based on the strengths, know-how and technologies of the Group.

As if this challenge wasn't big enough, Alpine even added four innovations to the prototype's specs:

- An innovative multimedia system, using the driver's personal tablet to offer an intuitive and natural connectivity experience, based on the Android/Google operating system, allowing all user applications to be centralized on a single device.

- A state-of-the-art audio system that combines 8 speakers to create a surround sound experience.

- Innovative materials that combine performance and sustainability.

- A convertible roof solution to experience the silence of electric drive technology, realizing the dream of driving the electric Alpine A110 without a roof and noise.

The challenges of the Traction System:

- Traction System and Battery Modules from the Group

As a Renault Group brand, it would be natural for Alpine to seek for this new project what was already available in the group's arsenal of systems and technologies. The battery modules are identical to the 100% electric Mégane E-Tech. But in order to obtain an optimized weight distribution and install the twelve battery modules, it was necessary to design specific protection structures for the A110's batteries, in addition to adapting the internal architecture. For this, four modules were installed at the front and eight at the rear. And to meet this challenge, engineers took the liberty of positioning the modules in a non-'traditional' way.

Despite the inclusion of these twelve modules, the overall weight of the Alpine A110 E-ternité remains quite light, with an increase of just 258 kg, thanks to the contained weight of the battery pack (392 kg).

- Transmission specially developed by Alpine

So that the 0-100 km/h/top speed ratio does not cause an increase in kW, which requires larger batteries, an innovative transmission has been added to the Group's 'standard' electric motor.

No transmission available in-house would allow Alpine engineers to meet the spec targets for this A110 E-ternité. The idea was to find an efficient and smooth transmission that didn't cause torque breaks and was at the same time light and compact.

Together with Alpine's transmission supplier, a transmission in the version with dual clutch (DCT) and electronic control similar to the A110 with a heat engine was studied internally, but with clutches dimensioned to achieve higher torque. The dual clutch solution allows for no torque breakdown, while being light and compact.

- Electronic System: successful combination of two technologies

The Alpine team demonstrated their ingenuity in the electronics work, crossing two electronic architectures despite the 10-year difference that separates them. Called E/E, this transposition of architectures was a success, as it allows maintaining the functionalities of the A110 equipped with a thermal engine and including the new attributes of electric motorization and even more, such as the 'overtake' function or the possibility of allowing communication between two batteries.

A single electronic control center was installed to communicate between the two systems. Innovation offers new opportunities for simplification of architectures or continuous improvement throughout the product lifecycle.

Brand new equipment:

The A110 E-ternité offers even more, with new equipment developed simultaneously by Alpine engineers.

- The long-awaited convertible roof...The desire to have an A110 convertible has long been heard. Therefore, Alpine decided to face another challenge. The main difficulty was finding a quick solution to integrate the convertible roof into the structure of the Alpine A110. So Alpine engineers devised a lightweight and simple solution that would not affect the rigidity of the series production A110, with two injected roof structures made from recycled carbon. This component was fully developed and manufactured in-house.

- Central Screen & Audio System...Alpine engineering considered it a point of honor to develop a vehicle that was as beautiful as it was efficient. For that, the cabin would have to be up to par. The team was able to satisfy the design requirements and the needs of electronic architecture. The solution was to connect the wiring directly to the instrument panel, which allowed keeping the same electronic interface computer. The result lived up to expectations, with the integration of:

- A state-of-the-art audio system, which combines 8 speakers and a subwoofer to create a surround sound experience, with the inclusion of a central channel and two speakers in the rear.

- An innovative multimedia system, through which the driver's personal tablet fulfills the function of the vehicle's multimedia screen, to integrate the entire universe and applications used by the user. This system makes it possible to have the latest technologies in terms of screens and operating systems.

- Innovative materials...Some key components are made from linen, while being lightweight and sustainable. At the same time, a second prototype of the 100% electric A110 E-ternité was developed, which made it possible to apply this technology to some body parts, such as the hood, roof, rear window, front grille, seat structures and rear skirt. This material is supplied by the company Terre de Lin, located on the outskirts of Dieppe (where Alpine's headquarters are located, in the French region of Normandy). Linen is a promising material, being as resistant as carbon and providing better acoustic performance.

This new experience makes it possible to prepare for the future, as the design of the parts is compatible with different composite materials. Thus, the same mold makes it possible to produce a component in either carbon fiber, glass or linen, opening the way for future research.

Technical Specifications: Alpine A110 - Thermal /A110 E-Ternité

Alpine A110 - Thermal/A110 E-Ternité

Performances:

Maximum torque: 320/340 Nm/300 Nm

Maximum power: 215/221 kW/178 kW

0 to 100 km/h: 4.4 s/4.2 s/4.5 s

Max speed: 260/280 km/h 250 km/h

1,000 m DA: 22.8/22.4 s/23.7 s

Total weight 1,120 kg 1,378 kg (target 1,320 kg)

Front/rear distribution: 43/57 42/58

Autonomy (60 kW/h)

WLTP 550 420 (BCB LR/ 470)

Thermal/electric motor: MR18 215 kW/320 Nm/6AM 178 kW/300 Nm

Transmission: DCT 7 Getrag DW30/Alpine DCT 2

Gear ratio: 7/2

Wheels: Forged aluminum Front: 7.5J18 / Rear: 8.5J18 Forged aluminum Front: 7.5J18 / Rear: 8.5J18

Tires Front: 215/40 R18 - Rear: 245/40 R18 Front: 215/40 R18 - Rear: 245/40 R18

Front Suspension: Double A C/O A110 ICE

Rear Suspension: Double A C/O A110 ICE - Reinforced lower arm

Springs: Front: 47 N/mm / Rear: 90 N/mm Front: 50 N/mm / Rear: 130 N/mm

Stabilizer bar Front: 106 daN.m/° / Rear: 29.8 daN.m/° Front: 106 daN.m/° / Rear: 29 daN.m/°

Shock absorbers: Mando/Ohlins

Battery SO 60 kWh/200 kW

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