When Renault presented the R 5 in 1972, the small car broke the design standards in this class and became one of the most successful models of the French brand, which was still state-owned at the time. While the predecessor R 4 was primarily practical, the successor brought French elegance to this automotive class. The R 5 even made it to the USA, where it rolled onto the streets as the “Le Car” after Renault took over American Motors.
Unfortunately, those responsible in Paris forgot the opportunity to develop a suitable successor after production ended in 1996 – which is of course not entirely correct, because after just 28 years a model with the designation R5 will be rolling out to customers again next year. However, the new R5 carries the small addition E-Tech and comes on the market as a full-time electric vehicle. The prototype shown two years ago is powered by a 99 kW (134 hp) electric motor. The CMF-B-EV platform is used as the basis, which should enable a range of 400 kilometers.
Renault is still cautious about the technical data, but has now presented a unique selling point of the four-door city car. The Renault 5 E-Tech comes with a bi-directional charging technology for which “we have developed a completely new architecture”, according to Eric Blanchard, the manager responsible for the brand’s zero-emission future. “The R5 thus becomes an energy source itself.” Before the introduction of so-called V2G technology, i.e. the possibility of feeding electricity from the car into the grid, “we had been testing the technology in Portugal and the Netherlands for a number of years,” explains Blanchard.
With the charger on board the Renault 5 E-Tech, which was specially developed for this purpose, the current can be fed into the power circuit via a bidirectional AC wall box, also designed by Renault. However, this is designed exclusively for Renault models. In the future, the technology can also be used in appropriately equipped multi-storey car parks. The owner is then compensated for the electricity transported into the grid. In your own household, washing machines can be operated with it, for example, and at the same time electrical devices can also be operated via the connection away from the power supply. The user can specify how much electricity can be delivered up to a previously defined point in time and how much energy can be stored in the car.
Renault will only announce the exact tariffs at the market launch. Initially, only the Renault 5 E-Tech will be available with this technology. “In the future, however, we will also equip the Mégane and the other upcoming models with it,” explains Blanchard. (cen/ww)
2023-06-13 07:00:00
#Renault #ETech #charge #directions
