RENAULT

Electric Renault 5 early next year

Renault announced the return of the “five” at the beginning of 2021, with the fully electric vehicle concept of the same name. The serial model will debut at the beginning of next year, and in the meantime Renault is making preparations for its production.

The new Renault 5 Electric will be based on the CMF-B EV platform and according to earlier announcements, it will borrow up to 70 percent of parts from the Clio and Captur based on the CMF-B platform.

Using existing hardware will help the French company reduce production costs by 30 percent compared to the Zoe model, which will not see the next generation. One major difference between the two small EVs will be the number of battery modules, as the new R5 will only have four large modules arranged in one layer. This will allow engineers to shed 15 kilograms of weight.

They also promise higher energy density than the Zoe’s package and increased chassis stiffness by better integrating the battery into the platform around it. A reduction in noise and vibration levels is also mentioned. In addition, Renault has also provided a multi-link rear suspension for the new “five”.

The battery will be placed under the floor to lower the center of gravity, making the car more agile.

Renault does not officially state power for now, only mentioning that the new R5 will use an electric motor with technology derived from the Megane E-Tech Electric. It will have a new internal architecture that will not only reduce the size of the engine but also its weight.

However, the French media unofficially state that the new R5 will have between 125 and 150 hp, will offer two batteries with a capacity of 42 and 52 kWh respectively, while the autonomy will be up to 400 km.

Also, it was announced that the base version will cost around 25,000 euros.

Recently, the show car Alpine A290_β (A290 “beta”) was presented, which announces the future sports version of the electric “five”.

The car in question is 405 cm long, 185 cm wide and 148 cm high.

The production Alpine A290 is expected to be powered by a 160 kW/218 hp electric motor from the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric. That engine has 300 Nm of torque in the Megane, so the A290 should accelerate to 100 km/h in less than 7 seconds.

Prepared by: Ivan Mitić