Can Renault’s Embleme change how EVs are built and drive?

At first glance, the Renault Embleme looks like just another sleek European shooting brake, long, low, and a little futuristic. But hidden beneath that sculpted bodywork is an experiment that could rewrite the rules of car manufacturing. 

The Embleme dazzled crowds at last year’s Paris Motor Show. But it is much more than a concept car designed to wow at fairs and then fade into a museum.

The Embleme is a working prototype, a laboratory on wheels, as Renault calls it, built to prove that drastically reducing cars’ carbon footprint is not only possible but feasible today. 

As such, Renault has now released details about all the partners it collaborates with to achieve that goal: Arcelor Mittal, Forvia, Verkor, Valeo, Michelin, and many more are involved in ultimately bringing the eco-friendly technology behind the Embleme to public roads.

90% less CO2

As for the end game, Renault claims that the Embleme emits 90% less carbon dioxide over its entire life cycle – from raw material extraction to recycling – compared to a conventional gasoline-powered Captur from 2019. That is a staggering promise for an industry contributing a significant share of global emissions.

To reframe that figure: while a standard gasoline car over 15 years and 200,000 kilometers emits around 50 tons of CO₂ equivalent, the Embleme is designed to emit just 5 tons, or ten times less. This figure has been audited and verified by independent experts at France’s IFPEN energy institute.

So, how does it do it? The Embleme is the product of Renault’s Ampere division, its electric vehicle arm. Every aspect of the car – from the shape of its body to the materials inside – has been optimized for minimal environmental impact.

This approach, known as life cycle analysis, considers every gram of CO₂ emitted over a vehicle’s lifespan: production, transport, use, and end-of-life recycling.

An elegant blend

The car itself is an elegant blend of estate and coupé – what Renault calls a ‘shooting brake’ – measuring 4.8 meters long with a wide 2.9-meter wheelbase.

Its aerodynamic profile, developed with the help of the Alpine Formula 1 team, delivers a drag coefficient of 0.25, thanks in part to flush door handles, cameras instead of mirrors, and even active aerodynamics, including a rear diffuser that adjusts to airflow.

But it’s not just about slicing through the air efficiently. The Embleme is constructed with a keen eye for weight and materials. Half of the car’s materials are recycled, from aluminium doors (made by Constellium) using 70% recycled content to steel body parts (Arcelor Mittal) that include 75% circular material and are produced with 100% renewable electricity.

Even the tires, specially developed by Michelin, are designed to minimize rolling resistance, reducing the vehicle’s energy consumption by 20%.

The interior tells a similar story. Renault’s supplier, Forvia, has swapped out leather and plastic for sustainable alternatives, upholstering the dashboard and door panels in fabric made from flax grown in Normandy and fibres extracted from… pineapple leaves—a by-product of the fruit industry. These materials act as carbon sinks and are part of a broader push to make the entire car as recyclable as possible.

Fabric surfaces

It’s not just the materials that have changed; the tech has, too. Renault’s engineers have stripped back complexity where they could. The dashboard is dominated by a 1.2-meter-wide, ultra-thin screen that spans the entire cabin width. At the same time, physical buttons are kept to a minimum thanks to touch-sensitive controls subtly integrated beneath fabric surfaces.

Electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre has tuned the sound system. It is designed not just for quality but also for efficiency. Speakers are lighter, components are fewer, and the entire setup is engineered to deliver immersive audio with a minimal carbon footprint.

Dual driveline

But the Embleme’s most significant innovation might be what’s under the floor. Instead of relying solely on a bulky battery pack, Renault has paired a relatively modest 40 kWh battery with a hydrogen fuel cell system.

The result is a ‘dual energy’ powertrain that offers an electric-only range of around 300 kilometers, with the fuel cell extending that by another 350 kilometers. 

This hybrid approach reduces the battery’s size and production footprint while offering long-distance capability. The carbon fibre hydrogen tank is designed for low-carbon production and can be refilled in about five minutes. The electric motor doesn’t use critical earth materials.

This combination of battery and hydrogen power allows the Embleme to weigh around 1,800 kg, lighter than many SUVs of similar size, without sacrificing range or performance.

Is the future now?

So far, the Embleme remains a demonstration model. Its hydrogen credits are a big question mark, as the energy carrier is becoming less viable as a future solution for passenger cars.

Even for commercial use, the option remains a tricky bet, as illustrated by Renault’s HYVIA joint venture for hydrogen vans, which was wound down at the beginning of the year due to weak demand. 

And though the twenty collaborating companies for circular materials illustrate an ongoing trend, their efforts seem miles away from large-scale production.

However, Forvia claims its pineapple-based solution is being readied for wide use without endangering the food supply. Renault has set a deadline for 2040 to become completely carbon-neutral across its European products and operations. But to get there, it claims the Embleme is about proving what can be done today.