Unveiled in the form of a concept, the future electric Renault Twingo will soon see the light of day, with a price below 20,000 euros. And this is thanks to a not-so-secret but very clever recipe for reducing costs.
If the price of electric cars still remains a source of fear for motorists, this is however changing. And this in particular thanks to the fall in the cost of lithium, which allows manufacturers to consider selling less expensive cars.
A small battery
This is for example the case of Renault, which does not want to enter into the price war at the moment but which wishes to offer less expensive vehicles. This is how the latter lifted the veil on its R5 E-Tech in concept form in 2021, while the latter will see the light of day as a series from next year. But the manufacturer does not want to stop there, obviously.
The latter recently presented its Twingo Legend, again in the guise of a showcar which will indeed result in a production car a little later. If it takes up almost line for line the design of the original model, it will obviously include a brand new electric motor. And while the manufacturer had been very quiet on the subject, we finally know a little more.
And as we could imagine, the electric city car chooses a small battery. Logical, since the boss of the brand, Luca de Meo had already explained that the secret to reducing the price of cars was to equip them with a small pack. A positioning confirmed a few weeks ago as recalled by journalists from Numerama.
According to the businessman, the Twingo “ does not need 50 kWh for the battery to play its role“. In other words, the electric Renault Twingo will make do with a battery with a capacity well below 50 kWh.
We know that the city car’s accumulator will be even smaller, although the manufacturer has not yet said more for the moment. The advantages of this solution are numerous, starting with a reduced production cost. This will increase the manufacturer’s margin while allowing a low price, therefore below 20,000 euros. Because for the record, the battery currently represents 40% of the total value of a car.
What engine?
Furthermore, adopt a small battery also helps reduce weight, and consumption. In its press release, Ampère announces consumption of only 10 kWh/100 kilometers. With a 30 kWh battery, we could hope to travel around 300 km thanks to the contained weight of the unit.
This is particularly why large packs are not a good idea, as the father of the Nissan Leaf also reminds us. But Renault also has another solution to display an affordable price for its Twingo, which will in fact not be more expensive than the original.
In fact, the manufacturer will use LFP (lithium – iron – phosphate) technology. The latter costs less than the NMC chemistry (nickel – manganese – cobalt) but this goes hand in hand with lower density. Which means that the autonomy is less important for a similar size and weight, and that you have to focus on very fast charging. Other manufacturers like Ford have also understood this.
And for good reason, the electric Twingo could travel less than 400 kilometers on a single charge. The journalists of Argus have obtained some information on the engine of the electric city car, which should feature a deflated version of the Renault 5 E-Tech engine. The city car could display a power of around 125 horsepoweralthough this remains to be confirmed at the moment.
On the other hand, the French firm denied the partnership with Geely and Smart for the development of its city car.
This newcomer should begin its marketing during the year 2026and could inspire the future electric Dacia Sandero planned for 2028. The new generation Twingo should hunt in the lands of the Spring as well as the new Citroën ë-C3 unveiled a few weeks earlier.