Renault is working on an entry-level, affordable electric vehicle that will cost less than $25,000 when it debuts sometime in 2027, roughly at the same time as Volkswagen’s upcoming cheap small EV is expected to come to fruition.
The information comes from none other than Renault Group’s CEO, Luca de Meo, who spoke at the Financial Times’ Future of the Car event, as Autocar reports.
The French car group already has a small and affordable EV in its portfolio in the form of the Dacia Spring, which retails for roughly $25,000 (without incentives) for the base version that features a single 33-kilowatt (45-horsepower) electric motor and a 26.8-kilowatt-hour battery that enables a WLTP range of 140 miles.
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With this being said, Renault is likely to base the new affordable EV on the CMF-B EV platform that will also underpin the upcoming Renault 5 and Alpine A290. But considering Renault-branded vehicles are typically more expensive than Dacia models, it will be interesting to see how the French group will manage to sell a presumably more upmarket EV at the same price as the Dacia Spring.
Luca de Meo underlined that Japanese kei cars, which are strictly regulated in the size and power departments, will serve as the inspiration for Renault’s 2027-bound EV.
“I like very much the idea of translating into European language the concept of kei cars in Japan,” he said. “So I think that there is some intelligence in that kind of concept, because it's not only a product issue. It is a product-plus-regulation [issue] to enable efficient and low-impact human mobility.”
On a previous occasion, Renault touted the sporty potential of the CMF-B EV platform, which makes use of a floor-mounted battery pack and a multi-link rear suspension, which usually leads to better handling when compared to a car that features a beam axle.
Additionally, the French carmaker said that the battery pack will be rated at 400 volts, which should improve charging times compared to the 240V battery that’s found on the Dacia Spring. Currently, a Spring owner can top up the batteries at a maximum rate of just 34 kilowatts DC. However, the Dacia-branded EV is expected to get a new generation next year, when the charging performance should improve.
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Source: Autocar