The French have revealed the engineering that will be the basis of the retro electric Renault 5 and the group's future compact models
Apr. 5th, 2023, 06:08 PM GMT Ilie Toma
Last year and the year before , the French prefaced a possible electric Renault 5, with a retro design, inspired by the classic Renault 5 model, which once became a true legend. The idea of producing a modern electric Renault 5 caught on so much that the French decided to make it a reality. And not anyway, but on a new technical platform, developed from the start for electric cars, which will be the basis of several compact models of the Renault group.
Photo: Prototype Renault 5 electric, revealed in 2022
The new electric platform is called CMF-B EV and was designed to be the most competitive in this segment, say the French, both in performance and technology offered, as well as in production cost . Being a front-wheel drive platform anyway, 70% of its components are shared with those of the current Clio and Captur, which slightly contradicts the statement that the platform is developed from scratch as electric. But this taking over of 70% of the components will make it 30% cheaper in production cost compared to the Renault ZOE, for example.
Effectively speaking, from the images you can see the configuration of the new modular platform. Because there is no need to have a cardan shaft, you can see the battery arranged between the bridges, a battery that can be bigger or smaller, depending on the length of the car and the required parameters. It is curious that the rear axle does not have a torsion bar construction, but neither does a classic multilink. We are talking about a frame made of two transverse circular pipes and two large longitudinal ones, but it ensures the completion of the structure. Two suspension stabilization arms are attached to this frame. The basic construction of the rear suspension is similar to the front McPherson, with the addition of the arm we were talking about above, some longitudinal arms towards the middle side of the car and an anti-roll bar between the two rear wheels.
This construction is lighter and allows the easy modification of the gauge depending on the model on which it will be implemented. Of course, the wheelbase is also easily adjustable, since we are talking about a modular platform. The electric motor used on this platform will be a synchronous one, of the type used on the current Zoe and Megane E-TECH. However, it has been developed and will be 20 kg lighter than the one used on the Zoe, for example.
The battery and the entire primary electrical system of the new platform will use a 400V architecture, so Renault does not switch to the 800V system, as Hyundai did, a fact that allowed the Koreans faster fast-charge speeds and ensuring more power for their cars. Since we are talking about more practical compact cars, the decision of the French to stay at 400V seems motivated. The actual battery technology seems identical to the one on the Zoe, only that it will not have a 12-module structure, but a 4-module larger one, which meant less metal used in its structure and a saving of 15 kg in weight total to Zoe.
And finally, Renault says it has already built 9 prototypes of the new Renault 5, which it has masked with Clio bodies and which it is now intensively testing in the Arctic Circle, in the famous frosty Arvidsjaur region in Sweden. There, the cars regularly face temperatures of -30 degrees Celsius, winds and snow. Therefore, the Renault 5 electric is intensively prepared for its series version, and the engineering of the propulsion system and the suspension seem to foreshadow a future car that is very pleasant to drive, perhaps even a future cult car, with the potential to become a classic, someday, if battery life will allow it.