Tech

The boss of Renault has a very specific idea to lower the price of electric cars

For Luca de Meo, big boss of the Renault group, there are not 36 solutions to drastically lower the price of electric cars. To reduce this significant price difference between thermal and electric, the only way is to reduce the size of the batteries according to him.

Renault electric car price
Credits: Renault Kangoo E-Tech Electric

Slowly but surely, electric cars are making their mark on the French automobile market. In October 2022 and for the first time elsewhere, sales of electric cars exceeded those of diesel cars.

Note that the French electric market did particularly well in 2022, with a growth of 16% recorded between January and September 2022. Of course, the maintenance of the ecological bonus at 6000 € from the government has helped to achieve these good figures. And 2023 should follow this trajectory, between the State project making it possible to obtain an electric car on lease at €100 per month and the increase in the ecological bonus to €7,000 for the most modest households.

Price differences between thermal and electric cars are not going to decrease anytime soon

Nevertheless, and despite these purchase aids, the investment in an electric car remains substantial. Much more than for a thermal car. According to Luca De Meo, big boss of the Renault group, the balance is not ready to be reached. Not immediately anyway. This price difference is due in particular to the high cost of batteries.

According to the website BloombergNEF, things are gradually improving. The average price of lithium-ion batteries has gone from $140/kWh to $132/kWh between 2020 and 2021. To accelerate the fall in the price of electric cars, there are no 36 solutions for Luca de Meo: offer vehicles with batteries with reduced capacities, like the future Renault 5 and Renault 4L electric equipped with batteries not exceeding 60 kWh.

Of course, the country’s charging infrastructure will also have to continue to develop in order to guarantee the growth of electricity. As a reminder, we are far from the 100,000 charging stations promised by Emmanuel Macron in 2021. Indeed and if we are to believe the latest figures from Avere-France, France currently hosts 71,630 terminals.

As a reminder, Renault recently announced the launch of its own charging station network: Mobilize Fast Charge. The diamond brand intends to install no less than 200 charging points in Europe, including 90 in France. The stated goal is clear: to allow motorists to find a Renault station every 150 kilometers, provided they are close to motorway exits and expressways in the country.

Source : AutomotiveNews

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