Renault Mégane E-TECH Electric: the new electric compact with the false air of an SUV – les Numériques

Renault, one of the most advanced traditional manufacturers in electric power, will take a new step in its electrification strategy. Indeed, the new Mégane E-TECH Electric, unveiled at the Munich Motor Show, inaugurates at Renault the CMF-EV platform dedicated to electric cars of the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi alliance, already released by the Nissan ariya.

By switching from its compact sedan to all-electric, Renault is making a major shift. However, the current generation of Mégane, available in gasoline, diesel and plug-in hybrid, will remain in the catalog for some time to pass the torch, following the example of Fiat’s strategy with its 500. In addition, Renault will retain thermal offers in the C segment with its SUVs, which have already won significant market shares from the Mégane.

The use of a dedicated platform has enabled Renault to design its Mégane E-TECH Electric differently. Thus, with 4.21 m long, it loses 16 cm compared to the current generation. Indeed, the manufacturer says to have managed to offer the same interior space in a more compact size, thanks to a wheelbase which gains 3 cm, with necessarily reduced overhangs.

A compact sedan inspired by SUVs

In addition, if the Mégane could be offered in the form of a sedan with two or three volumes, a station wagon, a coupe, a convertible, or even a minivan (the Scénic was initially sold like a Mégane Scénic), the new Mégane E-TECH Electric is inspired by… SUVs. In reality, it retains the shape of a sedan, but it takes 5 cm in height, in particular because of the presence of its batteries in its floor, integrated into the structure of the car, and visually muscle. Thus, the Mégane E-TECH Electric is adorned with bodywork protections and large 18 ”to 20” rims, depending on the version. From an aerodynamic point of view, the new electric Mégane marks a slight improvement over the current generation, with an SC_x (product of the drag coefficient and the frontal area) of 0.674 m², but this is far from an achievement.

For the rest, the novelty is very close to the showcar Mégane eVision which was presented to us at the end of last year. It retains flush door handles at the front (they are integrated into the rear quarter panel) and a light signature now in the shape of a Z. The rear-view camera system has however not been retained and has been replaced. by traditional mirrors. Note that the Mégane E-TECH Electric inaugurates the new Renault logo on a production model.

If Renault is changing its exterior design, this is also the case for the interior, where the electric Mégane inaugurates a new layout and new materials. Its “gearbox control” passes through the steering column, freeing up space at the bottom of the center console. Renault used recycled materials to dress the passenger compartment, like the textile upholstery. Finally, new RGB ambient lighting is available, with a Living Lights function that changes the colors of the interior every 30 min.

Screens at last at the level of a smartphone

In the center of this dashboard, there are two screens which are now connected to each other. These new interfaces, called OpenR, are displayed on a 12.3 ”screen for the instrumentation and 9” (horizontal) or 12 ”(vertical), depending on the version, for the central screen.

This new Mégane inaugurates an infotainment system based on Android Automotive, Google’s operating system for cars. This makes it possible to natively benefit from services such as Maps, which integrates a trip planner, and Google Assistant, as well as many other apps available on the Play Store. However, it will be preferable to connect to a Google account to take advantage of all the functions of the system, which will be entitled to remote updates (OTA).

It is therefore not necessary to connect your smartphone to this interface to use most of your favorite applications (Waze is however not yet available on Android Automotive). However, the replication of the interface of his smartphone remains possible via Android Auto and CarPlay, now available in wireless version.

In addition, this interface is much smoother and faster than the old one Easy Link. It is quite easy to use. The main screen gives pride of place to Maps, but two customizable widgets can be displayed below. While the air conditioning settings are displayed on this screen, they still retain physical settings.

The interface of the instrumentation screen has also been revised. It is able to display full screen navigation, among other presentations, while a widget on the right is customizable. The whole remains very easy to use.

At the rear, space is equivalent to the current generation of Mégane and the passengers even gain space at the knees. In addition, the middle square benefits from the absence of a central tunnel, although the width remains limited for three adults.

Finally, Renault announces a boot volume of 440 l, against 473 l for a Mégane gasoline, 394 l for a Mégane diesel and 308 l for a Mégane plug-in hybrid. Attention, Renault does not communicate on a volume in VDA standard (the calculation method usually used, which consists in measuring the loading volume with rectangular parallelepipeds of standardized dimensions), but on a volume in “liters of water”, a more lenient calculation method.

Two rather modest battery capacities, but low consumption

The technologies underlying this electric Mégane are new at Renault, starting with battery packs. The Mégane E-TECH Electric leaves the choice between two batteries, of 40 kWh or 60 kWh of useful capacity, which Renault refused to do with the Zoe. Their capacity may seem modest, with only 8 kWh of useful capacity more than a Zoe for the 60 kWh version, but the gain in autonomy is notable. Thus, thanks to low consumption, the Mégane announces 300 km of autonomy (WLTP) in the 40 kWh version and especially 470 km for the 60 kWh version, while the Zoe and its 52 kWh are limited to 395 km. These two batteries are fitted with cells supplied by LG Energy Solution, with NMC 721 chemistry. Renault is currently ruling out the use of LFP cells.

This sobriety, the Mégane E-TECH Electric owes it to optimizations operated by Renault compared to a Zoe. It is equipped with a new heat pump, which is more economical when the temperature drops, or even a liquid cooling system for the battery and the electric motor. The navigation system also incorporates a function to automatically bring the battery to the correct temperature when a charging station is entered as a destination, in order to allow faster charging. Finally, the energy recovery when lifting the foot is adjustable on 4 levels via paddles on the steering wheel, including a freewheel mode, but no “one pedal” mode is offered.

Two power levels, depending on the battery chosen

The engine of the electric Renault Mégane is hidden under its hood. It may seem obvious, but other manufacturers prefer a rear-engine propulsion architecture for their dedicated electric platforms, Volkswagen and HMG in the lead. Renault is already familiar with such a configuration, similar to that of the Twingo E-TECH electric. The engineers who worked on the development of the CMF-EV platform explained to us that the choice of a traction unit made it possible to bring all the mechanics together at the front of the vehicle, and thus to avoid having to transport electricity. and water (for cooling) towards the rear of the car. This would have increased production costs and the mass of vehicles. However, two-engine 4×4 architectures are possible.

The electric Mégane is fitted with a new synchronous motor with a wound rotor – therefore free of rare earths – of 96 kW (130 hp) and 250 Nm, or 160 kW (218 hp) and 300 Nm. For individuals, the smaller The engine will be fitted on the 40 kWh version and the larger version on the 60 kWh version. The 0 to 100 km / h is announced at 7.4 s for the 160 kW engine, which presages a more than correct approval, and the maximum speed at 160 km / h.

In terms of recharging, the Mégane E-TECH Electric accepts up to 130 kW in direct current, for the 60 kWh version, allowing up to 300 km of autonomy to be recovered in 30 min. In alternating current, its charger accepts up to 7.4 kW as standard, or up to 22 kW with the optional charger.

Renault is expected to announce offers allowing access to many charging networks, but the manufacturer is still not part of the Ionity consortium, unlike many of its rivals, which would have allowed it to offer preferential rates.

Finally, Renault is announcing numerous driving aids for its Mégane, up to a level 2 autonomous driving system. Active Driver Assist allows the vehicle to be centered in its lane when using the adaptive cruise control. It is able to automatically adjust the speed, depending on the limitation signs or even when approaching a roundabout, where it will be able to decelerate to a speed of 30 km / h. We will have to wait to get behind the wheel of this Mégane to check whether this system is more efficient than the Highway and Traffic Assistant currently offered, which is not really convincing.

The opening of orders is set for February 2022 and the first Mégane E-TECH Electric, leaving the assembly lines of the Douai plant, will arrive in concession the following month. The prices are not yet known, but should be close to those of the Volkswagen ID.3, the main rival of this Mégane. The German is sold from € 34,750 in the 45 kWh version (range of 350 km), € 38,380 in the 58 kWh version (425 km of range) and € 43,710 in the 77 kWh version (544 km of range) ), excluding the ecological bonus of € 6,000, which will increase to € 5,000 in 2022.

By way of comparison, the city car Renault Zoe E-TECH electric (395 km of autonomy) starts at 32,500 €, while a Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus is sold from 43 800 €. The price difference between the Mégane 60 kWh and the Model 3, although much larger, could therefore not be so significant, excluding discounts at least.