Renault announces 200 kW electric drive for 2027

Renault is working with Valeo to develop a new motor for 800-volt electric cars. The engine, named E7A, is currently in the prototype stage and is due to be launched on the market in 2027.

For Renault, this is already the third generation of electric motors: As with the ePT-160kW currently in use, the E7A is once again an electrically excited synchronous machine (EESM), this time created in the course of a development cooperation with supplier Valeo. A cooperation between the two companies has already existed since 2021.

In the current development project, Renault is responsible for the overall architecture and the rotor, Valeo for the stator. The partners are still only revealing the rough key data. For example, the new e-machine is to be around 30 percent more compact than the current units in the Megane E-Tech Electric and the new Scenic E-Tech Electric, while delivering the same power. In addition, the rotor technology will use no rare earths at all. “Renault uses a wound rotor instead of permanent magnets to increase the motor’s performance, secure the supply chain and avoid dependence on countries producing rare earths and magnets,” says an accompanying statement.

Valeo’s stator also increases power and efficiency: the unit has an output of up to 200 kW, which is more powerful than the previous generation of e-motors without consuming more electricity, according to the partners. Basically, the E7A motor should help to shorten battery charging times, as the system is designed for 800 instead of 400 volts.

According to current forecasts, series production of the E7A is to begin at the end of 2027 at the Renault Group’s Cléon plant. The current generation ePT-160kW engine is also built there. From 2024, production in Cléon will initially be expanded to include the ePT-100-kW engine for the electric Renault 5, before the new engine generation with 200 kW output follows three years later.

Incidentally, once production of the 100 kW engine for the Renault 5 starts next year, total production at the Cléon plant is expected to rise to over one million units. In an earlier announcement, Renault specifically mentioned 500,000 drives for electric cars and 510,000 hybrid drives.

renaultgroup.com