Where Renault Group stands in its electrification ambitions

At Renault Group, the electric revolution has more than a decade of development behind it, with the first patents for electric technologies filed in 2011. Yet the ambition for a majority electrified range is still ongoing. By 2030, Renault Group aims to make electric mobility accessible to all, accelerating electrification and hybrid solutions across the world: the group targets Renault brand to develop a 100 percent electrified range in Europe, 50 percent electric and 50 percent hybrid vehicle sales, and 50 percent electrified vehicle sales in global markets.  

To meet those goals, Renault Group has adopted a multi-technology approach that combines electric and hybrid powertrains with a research and development strategy that emphasizes fast development times to remain competitive in the face of market demand.  

Eliminating barriers of entry for electric vehicles  

Renault Group has come a long way in the past 15 years. In 2011 it launched the very first 100% electric range with four vehicles: Kangoo Z.E., Fluence Z.E., ZOE and Twizy. Since then, the technology of electrification has been moving in leaps and bounds. “The market has evolved far faster than we anticipated, Nicolas Racquet says. The arrival of many new players has accelerated innovation and reshaped the competitive landscape. In an environment where technology moves so quickly, no one can afford to stand still.” 

Nicolas Racquet acknowledges that barriers remain that prevent widespread EV adoption. “None of our customers will save the planet if it costs too much in the end. So the price is the first barrier”. Infrastructure can be another barrier, though it is more dependent on the countries, he says. “Western Europe now benefits from mature charging networks that support widespread electric mobility, particularly in countries such as Norway and Sweden. Other markets are at an earlier stage of development, where charging availability continues to influence consumer adoption". 

Yet Nicolas Racquet is confident about two things: the constant evolution of technology, and the appeal of the driving experience. “In Boston, you have EV startups that have hundreds of million dollars to investigate new technology breakthroughs. So many people are pushing the technology. Someone next door to you could find the breakthrough that will make the new setup for EV mobility in the next few years”.  

Similarly, customers appreciate the driving performance and efficiency of electric vehicles. “Once customers experience driving an electric vehicle, most of them don't want to go back. The driving experience is often what convinces them to make the switch and stay with EVs ». 

And while competitive EV manufacturers aim for high-end segments, Renault Group enjoys an advantage by leveraging its electric expertise in compact, nostalgic designs such as Twingo, Renault 4, and Renault 5.  

“Many people thought that EV consumers would come from the upper [income] segment, but in the end, people need to have an electric car in daily life. I would say that this is the main differentiator in terms of strategy between us and our competitors”. 

Hybrid and extended-range drivetrains as a permanent technological ecosystem  

Leveraging its expertise in electric vehicles, Renault Group has developed its hybrid technology over more than a decade, after filing its first patents for hybrid drivetrains in 2011. Instead of considering hybrid drivetrains as a transitional stopgap on the way to full electrification, the automaker considers it a technology that's worth developing in its own right.  

For example, the Renault Group E-Tech full hybrid technology (non-plug-in hybrid) combines a combustion engine with two electric motors, an architecture that significantly reduces fuel consumption. When combined with regenerative braking, which recovers energy during deceleration, the E-Tech system can deliver up to 40 percent lower fuel consumption and proportional emissions reductions. It has been recognized as among the best hybrid solutions available in Europe for its driving performance and fuel efficiency.  

Additionally, the Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) or range extender is a key technology in Renault Group’s electrification goals. In an EREV, an internal combustion engine powers the battery instead of driving the wheels, allowing for a vehicle to operate primarily in electric mode, while significantly extending driving range.  

By 2030, Renault Group’s range extender architecture will allow for up to 1,400 km range on a single battery charge, delivering low emissions while addressing range constraints and consumer concerns on range anxiety. And when the drivetrain debuts, it will be housed within a new modular platform: RG EV Medium 2.0.

Likewise, Renault Group is continuing to expand its E-tech technology beyond Europe by 2030. This is significant because, as Nicolas Racquet explains, it offers versatility across different countries and markets. “This technology has its own reality in the market, depending on the region, on the infrastructure, and on the culture of the country.” 

Reducing environmental impact by developing technology without rare earth materials  

One of the key aspects of Renault Group’s strategy for the past 15 years has been developing electric technology without the use of rare earth materials. In development is a third-generation rare-wound Electrically Excited Synchronous Motor (EESM), capable of producing higher power levels, up to 275 horsepower, while offering 93 percent efficiency increase in highway driving. Renault Group is aiming to develop and build this entirely in-house, with no rare earth materials. 

Not only does this minimize environmental impact on the mining and refining of these materials, but it also grants Renault Group a significant competitive advantage: the ability to maximize its own industrial efficiency while setting its EV technology apart in competitive markets.  

“As everybody is looking to China or copying China, we are being challenged, and some competitors have introduced the same technology,” Nicolas Racquet says. “So we push with our supplier network to democratize this technology because the more the industry will use that technology, the less expensive it will be.”

Managing the shift from a mechanical culture to software on wheels  

Software and automotive computer programming both play a vital role in increasing efficiency. At the core of Renault Group's electrified range is a smart energy management system. Optimizing the motors, batteries and regenerative braking in real time, it helps cut energy use and emissions in hybrid vehicles, while boosting the efficiency of all-electric models. 

To tackle the global market with its 2030 goals, Renault Group had to reconsider how its engineers and programmers operated from the ground up in the R&D process. “We are reinventing ourselves,” Nicolas Racquet says. “If I may take the example of my own division, we used to have a very standard automotive organization, where people specialize in gearboxes, pistons, crankcases, and other people specialize in software.” But as of 2025, the teams that Nicolas Racquet oversees share development of both the hardware and software.  

Ultimately, the success of Renault Group’s electrification ambitions will rely on these drastic shifts, a necessity in deploying highly efficient solutions at scale, and across markets all over the world. 15 years of electric expertise has given Renault Group a strong foundation to expand into a complete ecosystem. The roadmap for the future will be adaptable to ever-changing global markets and conditions, but most importantly, the automaker will not give up on long-term optimization.