Renault Group continues with its strategic transformation plan. This, called Renaulution, aims to move from the race for volume to the creation of economic, environmental and social value with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality in Europe from 2040 -in the whole world in 2050-. To achieve this, before, in 2030, it will have a 100% electric range in the Old Continent.
For this reason, the French conglomerate, and specifically its diamond firm, continues to burn stages. After the Renault Mégane E-tech comes the fifth generation of the Scénic, a model that, like the compact, will only be available with an electric propulsion system.
autobild.es has come to Paris to see the Renault Scénic Vision, the prototype that anticipates what this new compact SUV will be like, as defined by the brand, which will arrive in 2024 and which will bring numerous technological innovations.
The company believes that fuel cell cars will be an option to consider after 2030, so it continues to experiment with this technology – Renault is currently using this method in light commercial vehicles with HYVIA. And it has done so in this concept car by equipping a hybrid engine that is powered by electricity and hydrogen.
The system is made up of a 160 kW (217 CV) synchronous electric motor with a wound rotor located at the rear -so it is a propulsion car-, a 40 kWh battery, a 16 kW and a 2.5 kilogram hydrogen tank. All this is contained in an unprecedented platform that is currently in the prototype phase in the Renault Group innovation laboratories -the production vehicle will be the well-known CMF-EV already used by the Nissan Ariya or the Mégane E-Tech-.
With this hybrid solution – for example, the Toyota Mirai combines these two technologies, but is not pluggable – the aim is to reduce the downtime for energy recharging. When the network of hydrogen stations is developed, long journeys of up to 800 kilometers can be made, so, for example, it will be possible to go from Valladolid to Malaga without resorting to an electric recharge and with a stop of less than five minutes to refuel hydrogen.
But, above all, Renault seeks with this Scénic Vision to reduce the carbon footprint, including that of the battery – it is recyclable and less heavy and bulky than that of an equivalent electric vehicle. In addition, at the end of its useful life it will be reused to store energy statically in homes, offices or even mobile solutions. According to the company, this prototype boasts a 75% reduction in its carbon footprint compared to a conventional electric car.
95% of the materials that have been used in the prototype (steel, aluminum, glass and plastic) are recyclable and 70% recycled. All soft parts inside are recycled. Also, the foams, fabrics and stitching of the ecru seats are made from plastic that has been reused, such as milk jugs and tubes, and since they do not contain pigments, they are much easier to recycle.
The windshield -made entirely of recycled glass- or the hydrogen tank, which is made of recyclable carbon fiber made from paper waste, are not ‘saved’ from these processes either.
But the French company goes even further with the Renault Scénic Vision, since black pigments created from carbon fibers from aeronautical industry waste have been used to ‘color’ the bodywork. For its part, the ceiling paint has been produced using fine particles of urban pollution, which in addition to recycling, also improves air quality.
This new C-segment family member is 4.49 meters long, 1.9 meters wide and 1.59 meters tall.
Face to face, its design is as attractive as it is spectacular. As confirmed by Sandeep Bhambra, Design Director of the French manufacturer’s concept cars, the production Renault Scénic will maintain 85% of the aesthetic elements and traces of this prototype.
As I approach, I am greeted by a sequence in which the bumper breaks down into diamonds on the grille and these rise around the new Renault Nouvel’R logo. Despite this set of lights, the 21-inch wheels do not go unnoticed thanks to the flaps that reinforce aerodynamics and that can be opened or closed, depending on the speed, to increase efficiency and cool the brakes. They also adopt a mechanism that makes the logos stand upright when in motion.
The vehicle has a suicide door opening system, which, lacking a B-pillar, which will not keep the production car, offers great accessibility.
The futuristic driving position is characterized by the large screen located between the dashboard and the windshield, whose function is to show the immediate environment through a camera device integrated in the front of the vehicle. This innovative system allows the driver’s field of vision to be increased by 24% thanks to the visual extension of the windscreen and the ‘disappearance’ of the front part of the bonnet.
Along with the main screen, ten small, customizable, intuitive and configurable widget screens are incorporated, always adapted to the driver.
Renault goes beyond the simple reduction of emissions in the use of decarbonisation. A clear example is this prototype that embodies its advances in the field of sustainable development and that, in addition, shows the design that the future production Scénic will have.
