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New electric R5 Alpine hot hatch

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2021 3:48 pm
by Rob
The forthcoming all-electric hot hatchback from Alpine will be a beefed-up version of the reborn Renault 5 featuring the more potent electric motor from the new Megane EV crossover, the company’s engineering boss has confirmed.

R5 Alpine exclusive images.jpg

The French sports brand is due to switch to pure-electric vehicles by the middle of this decade and it has already issued teasers for its ‘dream garage’ – a large SUV with a coupe roofline, a sports car that it will develop with Lotus, and a muscular-looking hot hatch with a large spoiler. Our exclusive images show how the cars could look.

The company’s executive vice-president for engineering, Gilles le Borgne, has confirmed to Auto Express that not only will the Alpine be a warmed-up version of the R5, but also that it will use a front-mounted motor producing 215bhp. Depending on weight and gearing, it could deliver a 0-62mph time of around six seconds.

Re: New electric R5 Alpine hot hatch

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2021 3:49 pm
by Rob

Re: New electric R5 Alpine hot hatch

Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 6:36 pm
by Rob
A bit more information has now been revealed for the electric Renault 5:

A specific performance has also been mentioned.

According to the chief developer, the R5 Alpine will have an output of 160 kW – instead of the 100 kW of the Renault R5. The power is no coincidence, it corresponds exactly to the specification that Renault has made for the new electric Mégane based on the CMF EV platform.

Although the R5 is based on the smaller platform called CMF-BEV, the 100 kW engine is also basically the same design, as le Borgne now stated in an interview with the British magazine Autocar. “We derived the 100kW motor by shortening the length of the e-motor that we will use for the Mégane,” le Borgne said. “It can go through the same production line and has the same technology but less copper and other elements, so it’s shorter.”

When asked specifically if the longer 160 kW version would also fit the smaller CMF BEV platform, the development chief said, “The final answer is yes, because we want to do Alpine cars, as you can imagine. By shortening the engine, it has the same global installation. We will need to adjust the track, because it will be more sporty on the R5 Alpine.”

Re: New electric R5 Alpine hot hatch

Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 6:38 pm
by Rob
For the battery it’s likely they will continue to be sourced from long-time battery partner LG Energy Solution, according to the announcement. For the Mégane, Renault has so far quoted a range of 450 kilometres according to WLTP with a 60-kWh pack. It is not yet known whether the R5 Alpine will get different cells compared to the standard model and how large the battery pack can be.