The entire might of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance has come together to create a single platform to underpin many of the group’s future electric offerings. It’s a variant of the CMF (Common Module Family) platform that Renault already uses to underpin most of its vehicles of many size - there are several versions (CMF-A, CMF-B, CMF-C/D) and CMF-EV is the most recent addition.
The first vehicle it’s set to underpin isn’t actually a Renault model - it is instead being used as the base for the promising new Nissan Ariya electric crossover. The first Renault-badged model to be built around CMF-EV is the EV version of the upcoming Megane, the all-new generation of Renault’s popular model.
The platform itself is capable of handling either two- or all-wheel drive (the Renault Megane eVision concept is front-wheel drive, while the production Nissan Ariya will have optional all-wheel drive for higher spec versions. Renault recently released a short animated video explaining several aspects of this platform.
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It will have what looks like a very slim battery pack in the floor of the chassis (just 11 cm or just over 4 inches tall, allowing for the lower placement of seats) and since the electric motor and its ancillaries take up less space up front, there will be more space under the hood too. The platform will also allow vehicles to have quite a long wheelbase and comparably short overhangs.
In the Megane eVision, Renault installed a 60 kWh battery pack (claimed WLTP range of 450 km / 280 miles), a 217 horsepower motor that can push it to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under 8 seconds and the possibility of charging at up to 130 kW. And it’s not especially heavy by modern comparable EV standards, tipping the scales at 1,650 kg (3,640 pounds).