Cléa Martinet, Renault’s Director of Sustainability, says that “by 2028, manufacturing costs are expected to fall by around 40% compared with the first generation of the electric Megane.”
In an interview with the German magazine Autoflotte.de, she explained that the most significant levers are the switch to LFP battery cells, more efficient electric drives, and a simplified electronic architecture.
Until now, Renault has been one of the car manufacturers with the largest offer of EVs, ranging from smaller cars to commercial vehicles. After creating this extensive electric portfolio, Renault appears ready for the next step.
Lowering costs
“An electric car is still 1.6 to 1.8 times more expensive than a comparable ICE car, primarily because of the battery cost and the electronics. In France, we want to reduce this with a large-scale approach: within a 300 km radius, we have concentrated a gigafactory, plants, logistics, and suppliers. That’s the reason why we can already offer the compact Renault R5 Electric at attractive starting prices. The purchasing power of people remains, nevertheless, an inhibiting factor.”
How are you going to lower the cost?
“Between now and 2028, the manufacturing costs should be reduced by 40% compared to the cost of producing a first-generation electric Megane. The biggest levers here are the switch to less expensive LFP batteries (lithium-iron-phosphate), more efficient electric drives, and a simplified electronic architecture.”
Electric transition
The EU still wants an ICE ban by 2035. Do you expect any changes?
“It’s imperative that decarbonising isn’t watered down. When the transition to EVs is slower in some regions, a stringent lifecycle goal can achieve the same climate goal: production, regional power mix, and end-of-life policies must come together. In practice, this means as many EVs as possible, and in regions where that’s not yet possible, extremely efficient small vehicles with clear CO2 limits over the entire lifecycle.”
Is there a role for e-fuels and hydrogen?
“When we talk cars, we don’t see any use for e-fuels. Availability and cost make them more feasible in the air and on the water. For hydrogen, we see possibilities for commercial vehicles.”
The future
What about the dependence on China for batteries and raw materials?
“Today, the winning of raw materials, their refining, and their transformation into battery cells are primarily concentrated in China. The CO2-intensive power mix weighs on the battery balance. We follow two tracks. First, we need to expand battery cell production in Europe (as we do in northern France with our partner AESC) to reduce this power mix. Secondly, we have to increase recycling. With our department, ‘The future is neutral’, we are creating European recycling and refining capacities for used batteries together with several European industry partners. That should be fully operational in 2030-2032.”
What’s the future for Ampere?
“Ampere bundles our electric and software competence. Processes become leaner, development times shorter, from five to two years. We are constantly measuring ourselves against the fastest competitors, and that’s one of the reasons we opened our development center in Shanghai, China. The planned IPO was halted due to unfavorable market conditions. Ampere remains our electric ‘Powerhouse’ within the group. Our new CEO, François Provost, goes for a stable structure. For 2026, we plan a strategy update, but it will be more of a reset based on experience than a fundamental change of direction.”
