French automaker Renault and Japanese automakers Nissan and Mitsubishi have announced plans to develop 35 new pure-electric vehicle models by 2030 as part of a €23 billion investment that will see the Alliance members share a common electric roadmap.
The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance has been around since 1999, and now plans to develop common projects and actions that will accelerate and shape the future of all three companies.
Chief among these will be €23 billion to be invested over the next five years with the aim of delivering deliver 35 new EV models by 2030 based on five common EV platforms.
The CMF-AEV platform is one of the most affordable EV platforms in the world and is the basis of the new Dacia Spring. The KEI-EV platform serves ultra-compact EVs (“kei” is the Japanese term for a micro city car) whereas the LCV-EV (light commercial vehicle) platform underlies vehicles such as the Renault Kangoo and Nissan Town Star.
The Nissan IMK is a kei EV concept. Source: Nissan
Additionally, the CMF-EV platform is expected to hit roads in the next few weeks as the base for the Nissan Ariya EV crossover and the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric. By 2030, the Alliance is aiming to deliver more than 15 models based on the CMF-EV platform, producing up to 1.5 million cars annually.
The fifth common platform to be developed by the Alliance is the CMF-BEV which will be launched in 2024 and will provide up to 400-kilometres of range and will be the base for 250,000 vehicles a year under the Renault, Alpine, and Nissan brands.
Vehicles to be based on the CMF-BEV platform include the Renault R5 and the new compact EV that will replace the Nissan Micra.
The Renault Kangoo ZE. Source: Renault
“Among the world’s automotive leaders, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance is a proven, unique model,” said Jean-Dominique Senard, chairman of the Alliance. “For 22 years, we have been building on our respective cultures and strengths for our common benefit.
“Today the Alliance is accelerating to lead the mobility revolution and deliver more value to customers, our people, our shareholders and all our stakeholders. The three member-companies have defined a common roadmap towards 2030, sharing investments in future electrification and connectivity projects.
Another important component of the Alliance’s common roadmap will be a common battery strategy, which will not only include a planned 220GWh worth of production capacity but will also see the three companies work with common partners to achieve real battery scale and affordability.
The three companies aim to reduce battery costs by 50% in 2026 and by 65% in 2028.
The all-electric Mitsubishi Airtrek. Source: Mitsubishi
Nissan will also continue its development of all-solid-state battery technologies (ASSB) which will help to double the energy density as against current liquid lithium-ion batteries. The innovations will also reduce charging time to one third what it is currently and enable motorists to drive further without needing to recharge.
The Alliance is aiming to begin mass-producing ASSB technologies by mid-2028, beyond which will be a target of reaching cost parity with ICE vehicles by bringing battery costs down further to $US65/kWh.
Finally, under Renault’s leadership, the Alliance is developing a common centralised electrical and electronic architecture that will bring together electronics hardware and software applications so as to deliver a higher level of performance.
The Alliance will launch its first full software-defined vehicle by 2025 which will improve the over-the-air (OTA) performance throughout their life cycle.
Additionally, 25 million cars will be connected to the Alliance Cloud by 2026 and the Alliance will also be the first global and mass-market OEM to introduce the Google ecosystem in its vehicles. Similarly, by 2026, more than 10 million vehicles on the road across 45 Alliance models will be equipped with some level of autonomous driving system.
Keyword: Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi to produce 35 new fully electric EV models by 2030