REANULT RS 2027 VISION

Renault has always been a bastion of the high-tech, a series where futuristic ground-bound spaceships boom by at terrifyingly high speeds, challenging what we think is possible when a human pilot takes the helm on four wheels. For the past 40 years, Renault has taken part in this orgy of speed and technology, and now, we’re getting a peek at the French automaker’s vision of things to come. Long story short, expect even more of the heart-stopping pace we know today, plus more excitement, higher levels of spectator engagement, reduced costs, increased safety, and even a dash of environmental responsibility as well.

You gotta love it when a press release kicks off with the line “the year is 2027,” so I was keen to dive into the specifics as soon as I saw this thing roll across my desk. And while these sorts of design studies don’t always nail it in terms of predicting the real future, they almost always come with a nice set of interesting ideas that could gain some traction (in one form or another, at least) in the years to come. Not only that, but the aesthetic-driven renderings are a surefire way to light the imagination and set you off on a little sci-fi day dreaming…

MCLAREN P1

The McLaren P1 is a limited-production plug-in hybrid sports car produced by British automobile manufacturer McLaren Automotive. Debuted at the 2012 Paris Motor Show,^[5] sales of the P1 began in the United Kingdom in October 2013 and all 375 units were sold out by November.^[6][7] Production ended in early December 2015.^[8] The United States accounted for 34% of the units and Europe for 26%.^[8]

The P1 features a 3.8 L; 231.8 cu in (3,799 cc) twin-turbocharged V8 engine.^[14] The twin turbos boost the petrol engine at 1.4 bar (20.3 psi) to deliver 737 PS (542 kW; 727 hp) at 7,500 rpm and 531 lb⋅ft (720 N⋅m) of torque at 4,000 rpm, combined with an in-house-developed electric motor producing 179 PS (132 kW; 177 hp) and 192 lb⋅ft (260 N⋅m) of torque. The electric motor and the petrol engine in the P1, produce a combined power output of 916 PS (674 kW; 903 hp) and 723 lb⋅ft (980 N⋅m) of torque. The electric motor can be deployed manually by the driver or left in automatic mode, whereby the car's ECUs 'torque fill' the gaps in the petrol engine's output, which is considered turbo lag. This gives the powertrain an effective powerband of almost 7,000 rpm.^[15] The car has rear-wheel-drive layout and is equipped with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission developed by Graziano Trasmissioni.

Power for the electric motor is stored in a 324-cell lithium-ion high-density battery pack located behind the cabin, developed by Johnson Matthey Battery Systems. The battery can be charged by the engine or through a plug-in equipment and can be fully charged in two hours. The car can be operated using either the petrol engine, the electric motor or with a combination of the two. The P1 has an all-electric range of at least 10 km (6.2 mi) on the combined European drive cycle.^[16] Under the EPA cycle, the range in EV mode is 19 mi (31 km). During EV mode the P1 has a petrol consumption of 4.8g/100 mile, and as a result, EPA's all-electric range is rated as zero. The total range is 330 mi (531 km).^[1] The P1 combined fuel economy in EV mode was rated by the EPA at 18 MPGe (13 L petrol equivalent/100 km; 22 mpg-imp petrol equivalent), with an energy consumption of 25 kW-hrs/100 mi and petrol consumption of 4.8 gal_-US/100 mi. The combined fuel economy when running only with petrol is 17 mpg_‑US (14 L/100 km; 20 mpg_‑imp), 16 mpg_‑US (15 L/100 km; 19 mpg_‑imp) for city driving, and 20 mpg_‑US (12 L/100 km; 24 mpg_‑imp) in highway.^[1][17]