Next-generation Renault EVs to include petrol range-extender option

The next-generation electric vehicle (EV) architecture from Renault will support range-extending petrol engines, as well as pure-electric powertrains.

With its 800V electrical system, cars built on the RGEV Medium 2.0 platform will have access to some of the highest DC fast-charging rates. There will be three configurations of this architecture: all-electric with up to 750km of WLTP range, all-wheel drive electric with up to 2.0 tonnes of towing capacity, and extended-range EV (EREV) with up to 1400km of total range.

An EREV drivetrain has a small petrol engine that doesn’t drive the wheels, but is used exclusively to recharge the battery pack. Compared to plug-in hybrids, EREVs typically have larger batteries and a longer electric-only range.

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While it can support slightly smaller vehicles, the RGEV Medium 2.0 platform will be used for the company’s next-generation C- and D-segment (small and mid-size) vehicles. Cars offered by Renault in Europe in those classes include the 4.5m-long Scenic and 4.7m Rafale.

The RGEV Medium 2.0 architecture will underpin cars designed primarily for the European market. Outside of Renault’s home region the automaker plans to employ Geely platforms, and this partnership has so far yielded the South Korean-made Koleos and Filante SUVs.

According to Automotive News the first production car based on the new architecture will debut in 2028, although we don’t know which model this will be.

Accompanying these first details and images of the RGEV Medium 2.0 platform, Renault took the covers off the R-Space Lab concept.

Renault says the R-Space Lab concept isn’t a “forerunner to a production model”, but the name was used on a 2011 concept that previewed the fifth-generation Espace, which shifted from its original people mover format to being an SUV.

Measuring 4.5m long and 1.5m tall, the R-Space Lab is designed to maximise the feeling of space with an airy cabin boasting thin pillars, and a panoramic roof that includes a windscreen which stretches all the way to the B-pillar.

A full-width display is positioned where the thin dashboard meets the base of the windscreen. The front passenger’s seat can slide all the way back to the rear seats, making it easier to interact with any children sitting back there.

All three seating positions in the rear are the same width and, like the Honda Jazz, have a seat base that flips up to boost cargo carrying options. The rear doors open up to 90 degrees in order to make ingress and egress simpler.

MORE: Explore the Renault showroom