Groupe Renault - 2020 Universal Registration Document

83 GROUPE RENAULT I UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT 2020 01 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GROUPE RENAULT GROUPE RENAULT: A COMPANY THAT ACTS RESPONSIBLY CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS RENAULT AND ITS SHAREHOLDERS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF RENAULT ON APRIL 23, 2021 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 1.4 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 Net R&D expenses (€ million) (1) 2,383 (2) 3,176 (2) 3,043 (2) 2,609 (2) 2,284 Group revenues (€ million) as published 43,474 55,537 57,419 58,770 51,243 R&D spend ratio 5.5% 5.7% 5.3% 4.60% 4.50% R&D headcount, Groupe Renault 23,125 (2) 23,586 (2) 23,451 (2) 19,721 18,120 Groupe Renault patents 826 1,040 816 683 565 of which co-owned Renault and Nissan 352 484 375 235 o/w AVTOVAZ 85 99 35 33 = R&D expenses – R&D expenses billed to third parties and others. (1) Number including AVTOVAZ. (2) The car of the future 1.4.1 Research into connected vehicles and electric vehicles The car is already electric and connected; tomorrow it will also be autonomous, with the benefit of smoother, more seamless driving and improved safety. The development of autonomous cars and shuttles will accelerate the growth of electric, autonomous and shared mobility services, which in turn will promote multimodality – complementarity between modes of transport – and make the overall system cleaner, safer, easier, more accessible, more effective and more efficient. The car is already electric and connected; tomorrow it could also be autonomous in specific use cases, with the benefit of smoother, more seamless driving and improved safety. From 2017 and into 2020, Groupe Renault, together with public and private partners, has been testing electric, autonomous and shared mobility services delivered by autonomous Renault ZOE Cab prototypes: TORNADO project in Rambouillet: testing of autonomous driving P solutions, technologies and infrastructure in sparsely populated areas. Testing took place along a 13km route providing a direct link between Gazeran train station and the Bel Air business park in Rambouillet, representative of the specificities of peri-urban and rural areas; Rouen Normandy Autonomous Lab: first testing in Europe of an P autonomous, shared and on-demand mobility service on open roads, as an extension to the existing public transport service. The tests were carried out on three routes serving different stopping points throughout the Technopôle du Madrillet district; Paris-Saclay Autonomous Lab: testing of services for smarter, P electric, autonomous, shared and on-demand mobility in addition to the modes of transport already present on the Paris-Saclay campus. The aim was to test a point-to-point mobility service for everyday travel on the Paris-Saclay urban site. Groupe Renault is continuing its research into autonomous mobility, and is participating, via the SAM (Safety and Acceptability of Driving and Autonomous Mobility) consortium coordinated by the French Automotive Platform (PFA); (PIA), a key part of the national strategy for the development of autonomous vehicles. Its objective is to contribute to the development of safety validation methodologies, to improve knowledge on uses, acceptability and societal impacts. The Group’s work will consist notably in testing on-demand, electric, autonomous and shared car services, such as collective public transport and private public transport, in the Rouen city center and at Paris-Saclay. to the EVRA Project (autonomous road vehicle experimentation) P launched by ADEME as part of the Future Investments Program In June 2019, Groupe Renault, Nissan Motor Co. and Waymo signed an exclusive agreement for an initial phase of exploration covering all aspects of autonomous mobility services for the transport of people and the delivery of goods in France and Japan. The agreement brings together the strengths of the three partners and extends their expertise through the assessment of market opportunities and joint research on commercial, legal and regulatory issues related to mobility service offers in France and Japan. Vehicles are increasingly connected to the world around them. In 2019 and 2020, several projects combining connectivity and electric vehicles were begun. RENAULT EZ-FLEX, the experimental, electric, connected and modular light commercial vehicle Conceived and designed for urban deliveries, it analyzes data supplemented by feedback from business professionals to better understand urban delivery needs on a daily basis. It is 100% electric for sustainable mobility with a range of 150km. It is a compact vehicle with an excellent load volume/length ratio thanks to a compact cabin, designed to make it easier for drivers to get in and out of the vehicle frequently. Exceptional maneuverability: a turning radius of 4.5m. Designed for the different ways customers want to use vehicles, it can be tailor-made, with an interchangeable rear module. Innovative, it has a new smartphone-inspired Human Machine Interface (HMI). Connected, the HMI offers vehicle-related services and can embed applications designed for different professional activities.