New Renault Megane E-Tech Electric gets 450km range

The production-ready 2022 Renault Megane E-Tech Electric has been previewed in camouflage ahead of its full public reveal later this year.

Wrapped in camo inspired by the car-maker's new retro badge, the late-stage prototype confirms that the curvy new Renault Megane E-Tech Electric will stay true to the 2020 eVision concept.

That said, the smaller rims suggest some elements will be toned down when it's eventually unwrapped.

Size-wise, at 4210mm long, 1800mm wide and 1505mm tall, the Megane eVision is closer to the Renault Captur light SUV rather than the current Megane hatch or wagon.

We already know from an earlier teaser that the new compact crossover will feature complex LED tail-lights and a full-width light bar that look near identical to the concept.

Sitting in pride of place is Renault’s all-new diamond-shaped logo that’s been designed to pay tribute to the past.

Inside, the EV’s cockpit is said to feature an L-shaped infotainment system that seamlessly blends a large portrait-mounted screen with a traditional landscape-oriented digital instrument cluster.

Without a traditional drivetrain, the advanced platform and flat floor allows the Megane E-Tech to offer plenty of space and a low storage area beneath the screens where a transmission tunnel would normally reside.

According to Renault, the high-quality screens and premium materials used within, plus its innovative design, will be rolled out to all future models.

When the Renault Megane E-Tech is launched it will be the first to use the car-maker’s all-new CMF-EV architecture that was developed within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.

The new dedicated platform for battery-powered vehicles allows Renault to introduce its state-of-the-art pure-electric technology.

This includes an ultra-thin 60kWh under-floor battery.

Despite its small dimensions, the front-mounted single electric motor punches out a healthy 160kW of power and 300Nm of torque, hauling the front-wheel drive Renault SUV to 100km/h from standstill in less than 8.0 seconds.

Top speed is expected to be 180km/h, while the Megane E-Tech should be capable of a WLTP-verified 450km range.

Sports variants, which could be badged ‘Renaultsport’, are set to get a dual-motor set-up with 290kW/600Nm, borrowing from the closely related (but bigger) Nissan Ariya that sits on the same platform.

If so, the small Renault could boast a 0-100km/h time of less than 5.5 seconds.

Bigger batteries are also in the pipeline, and with the expected 90kWh lithium-ion packs in place, top-spec versions of the Megane E-Tech could have a range of more than 610km.

Cutting recharging times, the original Megane eVision concept boasted DC rapid-charging at up to 130kW. 

The French brand hasn’t specified how long it takes to top up the battery pack, but the 130kW rate surpasses the 125kW level the top-spec Volkswagen ID.3 musters.

Plugged into an AC charging unit, the Renault can handle 22kW.

The all-new electric Renault SUV is expected to be priced around $60,000 when it reaches the market, selling alongside the current combustion-powered Megane hatch.

Although still not officially confirmed for a launch Down Under, Renault Australia previously confirmed to carsales that the company is “very excited by the [Megane eVision] concept and look forward to the production version”.