Renault’s revolutionary E-TECH hybrids
Bias? Maybe. A French award to a French company. Deserved? Definitely. When you make something this good, the accolades are earned. Renault’s revolutionary hybrid E-TECH has won the prestigious Trophées De L’Argus 2021. L’Argus is the leading French motoring magazine and has been published since 1927. This prize recognises the enormous and practical impact E-TECH is having on motoring.
E-TECH is a hybrid drive developed from Renault’s Formula 1 programme and the company’s decade-plus experience in electric vehicles. It combines two electric motors and a petrol engine with a transmission that uses neither clutch nor synchroniser.
This technology is available as a hybrid drive and plug-in hybrid. A hybrid has both petrol and electric motors and charges the battery through the petrol engine, as well as regeneratively when braking or going downhill. The plug-in version does the same but has a bigger battery that can be charged at home or work when the car is not in use.
Most city driving is short-distance commuting, so e-tech will give you up to 80% electric-only driving there, with the benefits of quick response, low emissions, quiet driving, and incredible cost-saving. This translates to up to 65km EV only and a top electric speed of 135km/h for the plug-in version.
Hybrid engines were early attempts to overcome the shortcomings of then battery drives, and the joke was it gave you the worst of both worlds. For the last few years, advances in battery cost and range seemed to have negated the need for hybrid power, but E-TECH has brought this back to life. It now gives you the best of both worlds, with up to 40% lower fuel consumption, significantly lower emissions, while removing the angst of running out of juice on a longer trip.
Renault already offers E-TECH hybrid power in the Renault Clio and plug-in hybrid in the Captur and Mégane Estate. This year the company will add the Arkana and Captur as hybrids and the Mégane as a plug-in.
The award, made from a crankshaft, was handed over to Gilles Le Borgne, Groupe Renault’s Vice President of things electric. He said: “. . . it is the result of long-term work by the teams who have been involved in this project for almost 10 years. To achieve this, the Renault teams have submitted more than 150 patents, particularly on the dog-clutch gearbox, the heart of the system’s innovation. This innovative technology offers exceptional CO2 efficiency with a remarkable customer experience.”
Yes, and we would like to see it in South Africa, thank you. But in the meantime, you can keep up with Renault news by .
