Renaultsport boss sees future for hybrid cars - just not yet

The thinking is that Renaultsport need to have the base vehicle they enhance in a more advanced state of hybrid technology before the costs start to make sense

The boss of Renaultsport (RS) sees a future when electrification can be used to improve the performance of their performance cars, but that future is not just yet. Patrice Ratti is well aware that RS make several thousand cars a year only, and the investment would be too much for them to bear on their own.

The latest thinking is that Renaultsport need to have the base vehicle they enhance in a more advanced state of hybrid technology before the costs start to make sense. For example, the platform would have to be built to accommodate the currently bulky and heavy batteries, and that has major implications for the platform’s use in other applications.

At the moment Renaultsport is heavily engaged in Formula E. Ratti says that this involvement is accelerating battery technology for them quite significantly. But, as it stands, to get the performance you need a bigger battery as the performance drains it faster, and then you have more weight and less range.

One aspect does attract him: “What’s great with electric motors is the acceleration. We’re working on it, but we cannot go too expensive with technology.”

Ratti is optimistic though: “In a few years’ time, I am sure we will have three or four times the range we have today” he said.