Renault unveils three electric concept-cars for future mobility

French auto major Groupe Renault on Thursday showcased three electric concept-cars as its vision of the mobility of the future. A pioneer of electric vehicles in Europe, Groupe Renault introduced its car-on-demand service using autonomous electric Renault ZOE Cab prototype vehicles, as part of the Paris-Saclay Autonomous Lab project, here at the VIVA Technology show. The company is also showcasing a first trial of the Renault EZ-FLEX last-mile delivery electric vehicle with Groupe La Poste.

The third concept is the Renault EZ-POD, an exploratory autonomous electric vehicle that can be used to provide first and last kilometer mobility. Commenting on the future mobility solutions, Groupe Renault CEO Thierry Bollor? said, “at a time when mobility has never been a more crucial global issue, our role as a longstanding manufacturer of all types of vehicle is more important than ever”. He further said the company has a responsibility to propose innovative solutions to address urban environment saturation and to “stake out the smart city of the future”.The company said it is working on four strategic areas of innovation that are key to transforming the industry: electric mobility, connected mobility, autonomous mobility and new mobility services.

Renault will operate an on-demand car service with electric and autonomous Renault ZOE Cab prototype vehicles on the Paris-Saclay urban campus under the Paris-Saclay Autonomous Lab project, which was inaugurated on Wednesday. The project is jointly carried out by Groupe Renault, Transdev Group, IRT SystemX, the VEDECOM Institute and the University of Paris-Saclay to devise and test a comprehensive autonomous transportation system comprising autonomous vehicles, a supervision system, connected infrastructure and customer applications.

Renault also said Groupe LA POSTE will conduct the first trial of Renault EZ-FLEX, an experimental compact, electric and connected vehicle designed for last-kilometer urban deliveries. On the other hand, Renault EZ-POD, a two-seat autonomous connected all-electric vehicle designed primarily as a robotised automated platform to provide first and last kilometer transportation of people, can also be provided in a goods delivery version, the company added. Commenting on innovations in Indian operations, Renault India Operations Country CEO & MD Venkatram Mamillapalle said,”while we have showcased our intentions and actions towards future mobility on a global scale, we have a strong innovation story in India as well”.

This is reflected by the company’s clear product strategy to cater to newer and growing segments of India’s automotive market, he added. The company’s upcoming Renault Triber will be another testament to the company’s focus on innovation, he added. Recently, the French carmaker Renault on Monday said it has launched SUV Captur with enhanced safety features priced between Rs 9.5- Rs 13 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The model is certified to exceed frontal, lateral and pedestrian safety standards and is compliant with safety features stipulated by the Indian authorities, Renault said in a statement. The vehicle also comes with a host of active and passive safety features like dual airbags, antilock-braking system (ABS) with electronic brake distribution (EBD) and brake assist, speed alert, rear parking sensor and driver and co-driver seat belt reminder, among others.

Apart from this, Renault also decided to increase the price of its popular hatchback KWID by up to 3 per cent from the month of April in order to compensate for the input costs. The popular hatchback from Renault is available in two engine options including 0.8-litre and 1-litre powertrains mated with manual and automated transmission options. The Kwid range is priced between Rs 2.66 lakh and Rs 4.63 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Renault had recently upgraded Kwid with various active and passive safety features including anti-lock braking system with electronic brakeforce distribution (ABS with EBD) and a driver airbag, among others.

(With inputs from PTI)