More economical, more powerful, more compact
Renault is working on a new generation of electric motors. The so-called E7A engine is more compact and economical and is linked to an 800-volt on-board system.
Renault announces a new type of electric motor called E7A. In collaboration with Valeo, this should create an electric motor that is 30 percent more compact than the ones currently used in the Megane E-Tech and the just unveiled Scenic E-Tech. The more compact housing obviously does not come at the expense of power. Renault speaks of power up to 200 kW, or 272 hp. This is a well-known figure, because the cars on Geely’s SEA platform also deliver exactly that power. Renault has so far limited the Megane and Scenic to 160 kW or 220 hp, which means a significant increase has indeed been achieved.
In addition to being more powerful, the new electric motors are more efficient. Renault means that at least relatively, because it speaks of ‘higher power without using more energy’. Perhaps that is the highest achievable, because the new electric motor is an asynchronous electric motor and therefore different in design than Renault’s current permanent magnet power sources. Such an asynchronous motor is in theory slightly less efficient, so it would indeed be a great achievement if Renault were able to maintain power consumption. According to the French, the advantage of the new engine type is that no rare earth metals are required for its construction.
Renault wants to use the new electric motors in cars with an on-board voltage of 800 instead of 400 volts. That is good news for loading times, among other things, the French promise, which will be significantly reduced. 800 Volt is not completely new, because Kia, Hyundai and Porsche, among others, already use it. We can add Renault to that list from the end of 2027, because then series production of the new drive technologies must start.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl