Renault: Further Details on the Mégane E – MEB in French

After le Borgne reiterated the details (three battery sizes with 40, 60, and 87 kWh), he addressed the journalists' questions. The CMF-EV platform covers vehicle sizes from 4.0 to 4.7 meters, allowing Renault to fully cover the core EU market. The Mégane E is around 4.2 meters long and, thanks to its generous 2.41-meter wheelbase, is expected to offer as much space as the current standard Mégane. Modifications for Alpine would also be possible, though not for commercial vehicles, which according to le Borgne, will remain on the Multi-Energy platform that can accommodate combustion engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric, and future fuel cell technology.

The battery comes from LG Chem and currently uses the NMC-721 composition, which includes seven parts nickel, two parts manganese, and one part cobalt. The cell density is quite high at 270 Wh per kg, but le Borgne is already suggesting that this could improve in one and a half to two years. Currently, the battery is still expensive, but in the next vehicle generation (which in the automotive industry usually means every six to seven years), he expects a real cost stalemate, especially since combustion engines are becoming more expensive and even more complex. Since the battery does not differ significantly from the one VW uses in the MEB, similar weights can be anticipated, ranging between 310 and upwards of 510 kilograms, which should also be the case for CMF-EV. The battery is water-cooled and there is also a heat pump on board, which is used for both the interior climate and the battery temperature.

A "frunk" seems unlikely given the packed engine bay at the front, but all-wheel drive is possible by adding an e-machine to the rear.

According to le Borgne, the curb weight of the smallest Mégane E will start at 1650 kilograms, which means that the French model could be slightly lighter than the VW ID.3 with the smallest battery, partly due to the smaller body. The platform is mainly made of steel with aluminum parts, featuring a pseudo-MacPherson construction at the front, while a multi-link axle ensures road contact at the rear.

It will be exciting to see which model Renault will place on the CMF-EV skateboard after the Mégane. We are betting on a compact SUV that will be positioned next to the next Kadjar before larger electric models like the Talisman and Koleos are introduced, as money is initially earned faster with larger models.

What does that mean?

Basically, CMF-EV is remarkably close to VW's MEB platform. It will now be interesting to see how Renault develops its E-program alongside the combustion engines. This is because the E-Mégane is not only close to the combustion engine in name but also visually, and it is quite possible that Renault customers will be able to choose between the standard models and the E-versions in the future. It is also pleasing that Renault resisted the temptation to use the more space-efficient E-platform for similarly sized models with more space and instead decided to maintain the adequate space of the current Mégane while building a smaller car, which in turn saves resources and weight.