RENAULT

In 1972, the Renault 5 Prototype was launched, the first electrified model of the losango brand

The French brand has given a lot to talk about since the beginning of last year when it presented the Renault 5 Prototype. Not only because this concept car served to confirm the return of the classic model to Renault's product portfolio, but also because it will do so in the form of an electric car. However, although this is good news for the brand, especially for the positive aspect created by this news, in reality it is not the first electric R5 that is manufactured. In fact, between 1972 and 1974 a hundred copies of the Renault 5 Éctrique were produced.

It arrived almost hand in hand with the heat engine production Renault 5. And while it was virtually identical to this one, the electric version wasn't an exact clone. The differences were two: on the one hand, it was fully electric, and on the other hand, it was not manufactured only by Renault, as was the case with the combustion model.

For its development and manufacture, Renault relied on the collaboration of EDF. The model was presented in the spring of 1972 and was equipped with a UNELEC direct current electric motor with a power of 7.5 kW (10.2 hp) that was connected directly to the front axle. This small engine allowed the R5 Électrique to reach a maximum speed of 60 km/h, although it was not recommended to drive at that speed if you wanted to reach its maximum autonomy, which was fixed at 60 kilometers between charges.

This was possible thanks to lead batteries, eight independent units, which were not respectful of the environment, were very heavy and took up a lot of space in a car that was already small. The Renault 5 Éctrique had an empty weight of 1,020 kilos, which was a lot for its characteristics. Meanwhile, installing the batteries, which were located at the rear of the vehicle, required eliminating the rear seats, which undermined the R5's practicality despite converting it into a two-seater model and retaining a spacious trunk.

Another particularity of the electric Renault 5 is that it was equipped with a rear sliding roof. This element was not available with a comfort function, but had been installed to facilitate battery replacement using a crane to extract them from the car. This operation was performed through the sliding roof. It took 10 hours to complete a charge of the R5 Électrique's lead batteries.

Between 1972 and 1974, a total of around 100 units of the first electric Renault 5 in history were assembled. On the outside there was almost no difference between the electric version and the one equipped with an internal combustion engine. However, the gearshift lever, the clutch pedal, as well as the fuel and oil pressure indicators were dispensed with inside, but instead an indicator for the battery charge level was installed.

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