Reviving City Cars in the EV Era: The Need for Affordable Mobility

The Decline of Affordable City Cars

In recent years, the automotive industry has witnessed a shift towards larger, heavier vehicles equipped with advanced safety features. Unfortunately, this trend has cast doubt on the future of affordable city cars, which were once a common sight in urban areas. As a result, finding an affordable new car has become increasingly challenging.

Introducing the European Kei Car

Inspired by Japan’s successful kei cars, Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo proposed the development of a European version to promote affordable mobility and reduce the number of older, more polluting vehicles on European roads. De Meo believes that cross-manufacturer collaboration, similar to the model adopted by Airbus, could lead to the creation of electric European kei cars. He predicts that this initiative could generate a growth surplus of £500 million in annual GDP and create 10,000 jobs.

Collaboration Efforts and Future Plans

Although initial talks with Volkswagen for a joint venture to produce a cheap small electric car fell through, Renault remains committed to unveiling a sub-£17k Renault Twingo in 2025. Similarly, Volkswagen aims to bring its ‘ID 1’ electric car into production by 2027. De Meo envisions a return to the fundamentals of the industry, focusing on mass development of small cars for urban travel and last-mile deliveries. This approach would offer benefits such as reserved parking spaces, cheaper parking, and dedicated charging points.

Autocar’s Vision for the European Kei Car

Electric Range

To reduce the cost of city EVs, it is crucial to achieve high production volumes through collaboration among rival car makers. Ideally, the electric range should be around 110 miles in the summer, surpassing the average daily usage of 30 miles.

Platform

Developing a new platform from scratch can be costly. The Renault Twingo will utilize the AMPR Small (formerly CMF-BEV) architecture, with a 40% reduction in costs achieved by minimizing the number of parts and collaborating with Google to reduce software expenses.

Bodystyles

Renault has sought guidance from a Chinese firm to optimize the engineering and production of the Twingo and its platform. Collaboration among different brands is encouraged, and the platform’s operating system software would be simplified to accommodate a wide range of bodystyles. This includes a longer wheelbase for small delivery vehicles and five-door versions for everyday use.

Environmental Impact

According to de Meo, small cars have a 75% lower environmental impact compared to larger models. To drive demand, measures such as social leasing, free parking spaces, preferential charging prices, lower interest rates on loans, and incentives for young buyers could be implemented to reduce costs and promote ownership.

Materials

Reducing the reliance on lithium is a priority. De Meo highlights that the cost of lithium in an electric vehicle battery is equivalent to the factory price of a combustion engine. Alternative battery technologies, such as sodium ion packs developed by Swedish company Northvolt, offer a promising solution without the need for lithium, nickel, cobalt, or graphite.

Battery Chemistry

Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) is currently favored for the Twingo, although a cheaper alternative, sodium ion, is being advocated by Chinese company BYD. Weight is a crucial consideration, with any city EV needing to stay under 1100kg.

By embracing the concept of affordable mobility and prioritizing collaboration among manufacturers, the revival of city cars in the EV era is within reach. With the right strategies and innovations, these small electric vehicles can offer a sustainable and cost-effective solution for urban transportation.