Renault is outlining its EV mobility plan with a sleek-looking concept called eVision which heralds the use of a new battery pack, “one of the thinnest on the market.” The production model derived from the concept will sit on the CMF-EV platform, but it’ll take at least one year before we see it in the metal.

Meet the upcoming Renault Megane EV

Renault’s Zoe EV is doing very well in Europe as far as sales are concerned. Given the current let’s-all-switch-to-EVs trend, the French would be naive not to press in this direction, especially since long-time rival VW has done so with the well-rounded ID.3. And at the core of those ambitions sits the CMF-EV architecture, aka Common Module Family - Electric Vehicle.

Developed with Nissan by a team of French and Japanese engineers, the platform has a smaller engine compartment - given that electric motors are smaller than ICEs, a stretched wheelbase (up to 2.77 meters or about nine feet) and wheels pushed right to the corners of the car, which will work two-fold: offer extra room inside and better road dynamics as well as “more aesthetic design,” says Renault.

What’s more, the platform can underpin “low saloons and larger SUVs” so expect Renault to churn out a couple of those too in the future - they’d be foolish not to launch an all-electric SUV in a market where people are bending over backwards for this particular body style. so expect Renault to churn out a couple of those too in the future - they’d be foolish not to launch an all-electric SUV in a market where people are bending over backwards for this particular body style.}}

The eVision sports a crossover-y design and stretches to 4.21 meters (13.8 feet) in length, which makes is on an average 15 to 30 centimeters (5.9 to 11.8 inches) shorter than the average compact hatchback. This is bound to help with urban navigation but won’t take a chunk out of interior space, for the reasons laid out in the previous paragraph.

2020 Renault Megane eVision exterior dimensions

Any info on the powertrain?

Actually, yes. To illustrate how that translates in real-life conditions, Renault says the battery pack would allow for a London to Newcastle trip (286 miles or 460 kilometers) to be completed in the same amount of time as with an ICE car.

Renault says the technical features of the chassis, battery, and electric motor have been thoroughly tested over 3 million kilometers (1.86 million miles) in France and Japan before they were given the green light.

The e-motor on the eVision concept is rated at 160 kilowatts (214 horsepower) and 300 Newton-meters of torque (221 pound-feet), allowing for 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) accelerations completed in less than eight seconds.

A water-cooling system will make sure components like the battery and e-motor don’t get too heated up. In addition, a new ERS (Energy Recovery System) extracts the heat generated from the engine and battery and uses it to bump up the temperature in the cockpit (when needed), so energy loss is kept in check.

2020 Renault Megane eVision specifications