Alpine presents electric sports car concept
Renault’s sports car brand Alpine gives a glimpse of its electric future with a concept car. The Alpine A110 E-ternité is based on the brand’s combustion sports car, but has been rebuilt for the study as an all-electric open sports car with 178 kW of power.
The cells of the 60 kWh battery for a range of 420 kilometres come from the Mégane E-Tech Electric, but they are arranged completely differently. In order to achieve an optimal weight distribution and to accommodate the twelve battery modules, special battery housings were developed and the vehicle architecture was adapted. Four modules were placed at the front and eight at the rear. Despite the twelve battery modules, the Alpine A110 E-ternité is only 258 kilograms heavier than the standard version with petrol engine.
According to the press release, the electric motor is a standard component of the Renault Group – in the Mégane E-Tech it produces 160 kW. For the show car, however, Alpine combined the motor with a special transmission. “It should be smooth and efficient as well as light and compact. Torque drops should be avoided,” the statement says. Since such a gearbox did not exist, Alpine developed it together with its suppliers. The result is a dual-clutch gearbox and electronic control like the standard version of the A110, but with clutches designed for high torques.
Apart from the drive, the concept car has another special feature: the roof is removable, which was not previously available on the combustion model. In order to maintain the rigidity of the A110, two roof shells were developed from recycled plastic.
Renault boss Luca de Meo, himself a marketing expert, explains the epithet E-ternité (French for “eternity”) as follows: “I want to electrify Alpine to preserve its name for all eternity.”
Alpine reportedly plans to introduce three all-electric models by 2026 – the electric successor to the A110, a new compact model and the GT X-Over electric crossover, which will be produced at the Dieppe plant from 2025.
With reporting by Sebastian Schaal, Germany.
0 Comments