Photo: Catalin Garmacea
Now that Renault Sport, the French carmaker’s go-fast division, is more established than ever, they can move on to the next point in developing affordable thrills on four wheels - hybrids.
Patrice Ratti, the company’s managing director, discussed the matter during the recent Formula E race in London, as Autocar writes. Inquired about electric and hybrid technology coming to Renaultsport machines, Ratti explained: “I like to. Today the problem of a fully electric sports car is that you need a lot of batteries, but we’re also working on hybrid for sports cars.”
And while this might mean we could not receive the latest development in the hybridization field, if the end result is pleasing, we won’t complain. And it should - after all, the Renaultsport division is known for producing balanced road cars that can take down track records while also being able to serve as daily drivers.
RS also handles the carmaker’s motorsport action, with all the work done in Formula One and Formula E offering their engineers plenty of valuable knowledge.
It looks like Renault is willing to wait a few years in order for battery technology to advance, with Ratti predicting that “In a few years’ time, I am sure we will have three or four times the range we have today.”
One could expect Renaultsport to introduce petrol-electric power on the Renault Alpine AS1 two-seater sportscar, which is coming next year. Nevertheless, it seems more reasonable to wait for the next generation of the Megane RS to receive the French carmaker’s first hybrid go-fast model.
A delicate balance
We have to keep in mind that RS products have to be reasonably priced, which means Renault engineers will have to work wonders in order to implement such technology without adding too much to the car’s financial toll.And while this might mean we could not receive the latest development in the hybridization field, if the end result is pleasing, we won’t complain. And it should - after all, the Renaultsport division is known for producing balanced road cars that can take down track records while also being able to serve as daily drivers.
RS also handles the carmaker’s motorsport action, with all the work done in Formula One and Formula E offering their engineers plenty of valuable knowledge.
It looks like Renault is willing to wait a few years in order for battery technology to advance, with Ratti predicting that “In a few years’ time, I am sure we will have three or four times the range we have today.”
One could expect Renaultsport to introduce petrol-electric power on the Renault Alpine AS1 two-seater sportscar, which is coming next year. Nevertheless, it seems more reasonable to wait for the next generation of the Megane RS to receive the French carmaker’s first hybrid go-fast model.
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