Renault Filante Record EV concept drives 1,008 km on single charge of 87 kWh battery, averaging 108 km/h

Renault has claimed an efficiency record with the Filante Record EV concept, which managed the feat of running 1,008 km on a single charge of its 87 kWh battery while covering the distance at an average speed of 102 km/h and a rate of consumption of 7.8 kWh per 100 km.

The French manufacturer attained the feat at the UTAC test facility in Morocco on December 18, with the aim of completing 10 hours of running including technical stops and driver changes, or 239 laps of the four kilometre-long circuit, while sustaining an average speed above 110 km/h. The car retained 11% of battery charge at the finish, which could have sustained a further 120 km of driving at over 100 km/h, said Renault.

“If their only goal had been to drive the longest possible distance between charges, the designers and experts could have fitted the car with a huge battery or driven it in eco mode at 30 km/h on average. But Renault was aiming much higher with its efficiency record,” Renault said of its efficiency record attempt.

Three drivers were enlisted for the attempt, starting with development driver Laurent Hurgon (who also piloted the Megane Trophy-R to its Nurburgring Nordschleife FWD record in May 2019), followed by chassis control systems engineer Constance Léraud-Reyser, with the trio completed by chassis tuning engineer Arthur Ferrière.

Equipped with the aforementioned 87 kWh battery from the Renault Scenic E-Tech, the Filante Record concept weighs 1,000 kg, and features “ultra-light materials, 3D-printed components”, steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire technologies, and more, said the manufacturer.

The powertrain and carbon-fibre chassis of the Filante Record were made by Ligier, while its bespoke low rolling-resistance tyres were developed by Michelin.

“The findings from this venture will inform the development of future road-going electric models, enabling them to achieve ever higher levels of efficiency and meet customers’ real-life needs ever more closely – even in the most demanding conditions, such as sustained highway speeds,” Renault stated.

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