Automotive News Europe - September 22, 2010 - 6

Automotive News Europe | Q&A: Thierry Koskas

Renault aims to be No. 1 in electric cars
Renault aims to become the first volume automaker to make electric vehicles accessible to the mass market, building more than 200,000 EVs a year by 2015-2016. Renault’s electric cars will sell for the same price as equivalent diesel models, the company’s EV program director Thierry Koskas told Automotive News Europe correspondent Bruce Gain.
What is the status of Renault's EV program? The first cars will be on the road in mid-2011. We begin production with the Fluence and the Kangoo. How does the Nissan Leaf fit in? Renault-Nissan have a single strategy for EV cars. There will be very little overlap. The Nissan Leaf is a compact car and Renault's Fluence is for the sedan market while the Kangoo is a commercial vehicle. So the lineup is complementary. Also, Nissan is focused on the United States and Japan, while Renault is focused on Europe and other regions. Are there any synergies between the Leaf and Renault’s EVs? Nissan will release the Leaf before us, which will be very useful to learn from and to test the market. There are a lot of synergies with Nissan, one being the battery development. How much will Renault's EVs cost? The cars will be sold without the battery at a very comparable price to equivalent diesel cars in category and size. The battery will be leased to customers, while the leasing price plus the electricity costs will be equivalent to those of [gasoline]-powered car prices as long as you drive a minimum number of miles. Why is Renault-Nissan investing 4 billion euros in EVs? The main reason is the green market trend. What is unique to the Renault-Nissan alliance is that we have the best battery technology, which enables us to launch an EV by controlling the main technology component of the vehicle. Another important factor is to realize the huge potential of EVs in certain countries. How far ahead of your rivals are you with EVs? We think we could be one or two years ahead. We already made big steps in the cost side and the battery technology. Which company will be the biggest rival? We have to look at the Chinese manufacturers, which will aim to have a large EV share in their home market. The Chinese brands also will want to develop their electric technology so their EVs can be exported to markets where they lack a big presence. In addition, other manufacturers such as Volkswagen also have their EV strategies. Will EVs make a profit? The profitability guidelines will be the same as for any other car. What types of mobility packages will be offered with EVs? There will be service packages, such as being able to start charging remotely with your mobile phone. We will also offer a [gasoline-powered] car for long weekend trips, but we don't see a big demand for that because most customers will probably use their EV as a second car and will have a bigger car for longer trips, but it can still be an interesting offer. How is Renault preparing dealers for electric cars? There will probably be less maintenance required for EVs compared with a gasoline or diesel car, but you will still have wear-and-tear issues and will have to change brake pads and things like that. Renault dealerships will be highly compensated by the fact that there will be much more loyalty among customers driving an EV compared with a conventional car because it is a new technology.

What is unique to the Renault-Nissan alliance is that we have the best battery technology, which enables us to launch an EV by controlling the main technology component of the vehicle.
THIERRY KOSKAS

What infrastructure must be in place for EVs? Obviously, you need a plug at home. Customers will see charging points alongside streets, in public parking lots, near stores, and so on. While they will not need to use publicly available plugs very often, they will want to see that they are available. ■

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