Dedicated to electric or multi-energy? Pioneer of the battery car with its Nissan partner, Renault has long been the choice of a specific platform. The basic architecture of the Zoe, that is to say the chassis on which are added the elements of custom silhouette, is today used only for the small city battery.
Conversely, for its future electric cars, PSA has chosen a so-called “multi-energy” platform: the architecture of the Peugeot 208, for example, will remain the same regardless of the engine (diesel, gasoline or 100% electric). “Nobody knows how to predict the mix that will be adopted by customers, says Yann Vincent, industrial director of PSA. With a multi-energy platform, we will have some flexibility in production. “
Adapt to the demand
The Lion group has thus developed two platforms of this type for all of its future vehicles , called CMP for the smallest (segment B and beginning of C), and EMP2 for the largest (segments C and D). BMW has made the same choice for the cars it will produce starting in 2021.
While the appetite of motorists for battery cars remains uncertain, some manufacturers prefer not to invest the hundreds of millions of euros needed to develop a specific platform. “It takes between 700 and 900 million euros, which will be amortized if you sell at least 100,000 cars,” say Wolfgang Bernhart and Olivier Hanoulle, Roland Berger. The choice of multi-energy makes it easier to adapt production to demand.
Roomier interior
By developing a specific platform, manufacturers can however benefit from the advantages of electricity, especially for interior comfort . The battery pack, most often placed under the car, allows a flat floor. The engine is smaller, the fuel tank is missing. “It frees up space in the cabin, and allows for particularly spacious interiors,” say the consultants.
To amortize the corresponding investments, the manufacturers then bet on the volumes. For its next generation of battery-powered cars, Renault is working with Nissan and Mitsubishi. Similarly, the German giant Volkswagen presented last autumn its dedicated platform MEB (Modular Elektro Baukasten), on which it will rely for the electric version of 27 models of its brands Volkswagen, Audi, Seat and Skoda. he could even share it, especially with Ford. And two of the group’s brands, Audi and Porsche, are engaged in a similar process around a platform called PPE (Premium Platform Electric).