Renault uses its experience as an early leader in electrification to create new, innovative features for electric cars every year. Most research and development has gone into making batteries smaller and increasing how much power they can hold. However, the engine has not been forgotten.
Renault thinks the engine is a crucial part of the electric cars value chain, so it has designed it all by itself. All the active components (rotor, stator, power electronics, and reducer) are manufactured and assembled at the Cléon plant (Seine-Maritime, France) with less energy and materials used. Research and development are done at the Technocentre in Guyancourt (Yvelines, France).
Renault made and patented a new electrically excited synchronous motor that doesn't need a magnet for the new Renault Megane E-TECH Electric. With this technology, the engine works better and has less of an effect on the environment. No more rare earth-like neodymium that are hard to recycle and whose extraction and processing create toxic waste. Magnets have been replaced with copper coils, and the order and position of each wire have been studied to ensure they can handle the centrifugal force of the rotor.
The new way the Renault Megane E-TECH Electric's rotors has several benefits. It's better for the environment because it doesn't use magnets or rare-earth metals. It's also solid and reliable, saving energy by limiting electricity use and reducing energy waste, especially at high speeds or on the highway.
The Renault ZOE, Renault Twingo Electric, Renault Kangoo Electric, and Renault Master Electric all use the same technology for their engines, and they are all made on the same line in Cléon. This keeps costs down.
In addition to being more suitable for the environment, the Renault Megane E-TECH Electric engine works well over a wide range of torque and speed because of how the rotor is wound. Unlike permanent magnet motors, Renault engineers could change the magnetic excitation level by injecting current into the rotor winding. So, the excitation can be turned down when the electric engine isn't used very much. This uses less magnetic force, which means less energy loss.
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