2024 Renault Scenic E-Tech Esprit Alpine

Six appealing body colours will be available: Flame Red, Midnight Blue, Diamond Black, Shadow Grey Glossy, matte Shadow Grey (exclusive to the esprit Alpine trim) and Pearl White. Depending on the trim, the roof and door pillars can be finished in contrasting Diamond Black or Shadow Grey.

Interior design

The stand-out feature of the all-new Renault Scenic E-Tech electric is the Solarbay panoramic glass roof, developed in partnership with Saint-Gobain. Its AmpliSky technology uses a combination of PDLCs (polymer dispersed liquid crystals) to change the opacity of the glass one segment at a time.

Renault is the first mass-market car manufacturer to offer a panoramic roof that can be either fully or partially opacified in segments. The driver and passengers can choose any of four roof settings: full light, full opaque, light at the front but opaque at the back, and the reverse. More practical than a conventional roller blind, it allows passengers in the back to lighten or opacify the roof in their area without affecting the occupants in the front. Its operation can be controlled using a button by the overhead light or by voice control using Google Assistant for an effect that positively wows passengers.

The Solarbay roof minimises the greenhouse effect in warm weather and opacifies automatically on exiting the car. When you return, it automatically reverts to its previous setting.

It saves space, too, gaining 30mm of headroom over a conventional mechanical blind, and is 6-8kg lighter. With one eye on sustainability, approximately 50% of the glass is made of waste from plate and automotive glass production, while 90% of it can be recycled at the end of its life.

Clever storage abounds in the all-new Renault Scenic E-Tech electric, with up to 38.7 litres of it throughout the cabin. This includes the glove compartment (4 litres), door bins (13.6 litres), an open storage area in the centre console (6.6 litres) with two large cupholders (2 litres) and a compartment under the armrest (3.4 litres) which also slides forwards and backwards by 70mm. Under the centre screen is storage and wireless charging for smartphones, while pockets behind the front seats add a further 2.4 litres each.

Rear seat passengers have their own ingenious armrest with two swivelling arms, 3.6 litres of storage for smartphones and tablets, fold-out stands to watch screens comfortably, two cupholders and two USB-C ports.

A concealed trap door allows long items to be carried without folding down the rear seat by providing access to the ample 545-litre boot that increases to 1,670 litres with the seats folded.

Light and elegant fabrics enhance the feeling of space inside, while the Iconic model includes an FSC-certified linden finish to the dashboard and door panels.

Depending on the trim level, a 'relax' mode automatically shifts the powered seat to your favourite preset position and can even massage you to help you recharge your own batteries. While stopped to rest or recharge, the vehicle's amenities such as the infotainment system, USB chargers, mood lighting, temperature adjustment and Solarbay panoramic roof stay activated for 45 minutes.

Electronica pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre joined forces with Renault, along with Ircam and the Group's sound design teams, to develop two types of sounds: VSPs (Vehicle Sounds for Pedestrians, to warn people that the car is approaching when it is moving at less than 30km/h) and the Welcome sound sequence (which plays when you sit in the car). Every detail was analysed to create sounds that capture the Renault brand's spirit, are instantly recognisable in our cities' soundscapes and convey a feeling of movement.

Four MULTI-SENSE modes - Comfort, Sport, Eco and Perso - provide a different atmosphere by combining the indoor lights, driver seat's comfort, indoor temperature and screen colour in varying ways with the driving sensations (steering-wheel resistance, powertrain calibration and pedal response).

MULTI-SENSE also customises the mood with Living Light, a choice of 48 colours for the dashboard, backlighting and front and rear door strips. The lights can create a gradual effect that enhances the interior design and keeps everyone feeling fresh. These living lights include an automatic mode that adjusts every 30 minutes in step with the 24-hour circadian rhythm and the time of day, with cool colours during the day and warm ones at night.

The OpenR Link multimedia system with Google built-in, running on Android Automotive OS 12, features more than 50 apps available from Google Play, from music quizzes and family games to journey planning, ready to make the most of your time in the car.

The system is accessed through a 12.3-inch horizontal screen on the dashboard, joined in an L-shape by a 12-inch vertical display in the middle of the console. On the dashboard display facing the driver, the traditional round dial has been replaced by a 28-degree diagonal speed line, reminiscent of Renault's diamond-shaped logo, which changes colour in sync with the car's speed. It also displays the battery's remaining range and selected driving mode.

The journey planner has been optimised by Google and Renault engineers for electric vehicles and takes into account the need to pre-condition the battery temperature when nearing charging stops on the journey. This allows the system to make smarter decisions about where to charge, optimising charging time and significantly shortening journey time as a result. Charging stops can be selected based on their power rating and the payment methods the driver prefers. And this can all be done directly on your phone before leaving the house, with the itinerary sent to the car automatically.

Weather information supplied by Google helps to more accurately estimate the battery's remaining range by taking information such as wind direction and speed into account.

Platform and powertrains

Based on the modular CMF-EV platform, the all-new Renault Scenic E-Tech electric boasts a long wheelbase of 2.78m, combined with wide wheel tracks and a wheel-at-each-corner stance that aids stability.

The steering ratio of 12, the lowest on the market, matches that of the Megane E-Tech electric. With the Parallel Link multi-link rear axle, the result is a tight curb-to-curb turning circle of 10.9 metres together with excellent handling and steering precision.

Two powertrain configurations are available. The first uses a 125kW (170hp) motor with 280Nm, powered by a 60kWh battery pack, to deliver a range of 260 miles or more (pending WLTP verification). The second features a 160kW (220hp) motor with 300Nm coupled with a larger 87kWh pack that is targeted to achieve more than 279 miles (pending WLTP verification).

The battery design has been optimised to the smallest detail with the modules arranged over two tiers to fit perfectly within the CMF-EV platform. The 87kWh battery pack is made up of 12 modules of 16 cells each, while the 60kWh version comprises 12 modules of 24 cells.

Thanks to LG's NMC (nickel, manganese, cobalt) technology, the all-new Scenic E-Tech electric's battery is 6% more energy dense than that in the Megane E-Tech electric. A heat pump is standard in the all-new Scenic E-Tech electric, helping to recover heat and energy that would otherwise be wasted.

Pre-conditioning of the battery happens automatically as the car nears a scheduled charging stop, ensuring it is at the optimal temperature on arrival and helping to cut charge times. As a result, drivers can enjoy 2 hours of range on a motorway (equivalent to approximately 50kWh with a 150kW charge) by charging for just 30 minutes.

Four levels of regenerative braking are available, selected using two paddles mounted behind the steering wheel, to recover kinetic energy and return it to the battery.

Safety and driver assistance

The all-new Renault Scenic E-Tech electric comes with more than 30 advanced driver assistance and safety systems (ADAS), including a new tool called Safety Coach.

Safety Coach assesses driving behaviour and habits to provide tailored advice on driving style and ADAS use. The system gathers data from the various vehicle sensors and analyses key factors such as acceleration, distance from other vehicles, speed limit awareness, and more. Of particular use to young drivers, the system can help to develop good driving habits that improve the safety of all occupants.

The new motorway and traffic assistant Active Driver Assist combines adaptive cruise control, Stop & Go, lane centring and geolocation data to adapt predictively to the road. At low speeds, such as in a traffic jam, the lane centring system can be adjusted by the driver to keep the vehicle to one side of the road to ease the passage of emergency vehicles.

The smart cruise control system - included in Safety Coach - can automatically adjust the vehicle speed to account for distance between other cars.

Sustainability

The Scenic Vision concept car heralded the first production car to embody Renault Group's and the Renault brand's commitments regarding sustainability. The all-new Scenic E-Tech electric is this vision in action and opens the door to greener mobility that preserves natural resources and protects the climate, encompassing all areas from resources and materials to components and processes.

Creating more environmentally-friendly vehicles is at the core of Renault Group's vision and its roadmap to increase the proportion of recycled materials relative to total mass to 33% by 2030. As a result, up to 24% of the Scenic E-Tech electric's materials are recycled and 90% of its mass - including the battery - is recyclable.

The all-new Renault Scenic E-Tech electric's ferrous components are on average 37% recycled materials, while its bonnet and doors are up to 80% recycled aluminium. The aluminium is processed in a closed loop that sees offcuts sorted, compacted, and returned to the supplier to be fed back into the production process. This helps reduce carbon emissions during vehicle production and secures stocks of raw materials, while the use of aluminium in the all-new Scenic E-Tech electric's body saves weight, increasing efficiency.

The dashboard materials are up to 80% recycled, while the dashboard cowling is 43% bio-sourced, made from kenaf, a plant that yields a fibre similar to jute. In addition, 51% of the steering wheel cover is bio-sourced: 25% is PVC made from ricin oil; 26% is cotton weft. The cockpit uses 26% recycled plastic; the storage bins in the door panels are 45% recycled fibre; floor mats are 54% recycled plastic bottles; the seat upholstery in Techno and Esprit Alpine trims are 100% recycled fabric, while the Iconic version is 87% recycled.

The Solarbay opacifying panoramic roof uses recycled glass in its manufacture, with 50% of it made of waste from plate and automotive glass production, while 90% of it can be recycled at the end of its life. In addition, the Solarbay glass roof is 6-8kg lighter than a conventional panoramic roof equipped with a mechanical blind.

Renault Group and Saint-Gobain have also developed an innovative plan to use recycled glass from end-of-life vehicles from the Indra network, a subsidiary of "Future is Neutral", Renault Group's entity specialised in the circular economy. The recovered glass will be used to make tinted windows for Renault Group brands starting at the end of this year.

There is no leather whatsoever in the all-new Scenic E-Tech electric. The steering wheel wears a grained coated fabric with a much smaller carbon footprint than leather that does not diminish the perceived quality, feel or comfort.

The modular design of the all-new Renault Scenic E-Tech electric's battery pack makes it easy to repair, recycle, or redeploy in second-life roles such as in stationary storage systems, with over 20 maintenance centres already established in Europe for that purpose.

Like Zoe and Megane E-Tech electric, the all-new Scenic E-Tech electric uses an excited synchronous motor. More efficient than a permanent magnet motor, it uses no rare earth materials.

The all-new Renault Scenic E-Tech electric is assembled at the Douai plant within ElectriCity, where it benefits from localised production techniques. Renault Group is aiming for carbon neutrality at all three ElectriCity plants as early as 2025, at all European production plants by 2030, and at all plants worldwide by 2050.

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