The year 2020 promised to be a hotbed of electrified innovations in the four-wheel sector. Many manufacturers had marked the months of the calendar in green hope, the color of nature and sustainability. Unfortunately, the transition towards zero emissions mobility has been truncated by the appearance of the coronavirus, which is curiously giving boost and oxygen to our battered planet. The Renault Morphoz is one of the proposals that we were able to know days before the confinement, an electric and autonomous prototype that represents the vision of the firm on personal mobility beyond 2025 .
In March we knew another new victim (figuratively) of this virus: the Paris Motor Show was canceled. This fair, scheduled from October 1 to 11 , does not have the support of manufacturers, who see it as an overspending in a year too rough for their accounts. Renault’s first electric model, developed on the new CMF-EV modular platform used in the Morphoz prototype, was to be unveiled at the Porte de Versailles fair space. An architecture that will be used by the electric models of the alliance from 2021.
A Transformers car
The Renault Morphoz is a roadmap that should become a production model by 2022 . Before the first 100% electric model of the firm will arrive, an urban SUV that is developed on the Renault Zoe and that will measure about 4.20 meters long. This SUV will be inspired by the prototype with its futuristic shapes, high hood and faired wheels. Of course, we doubt that the production model can lengthen or shorten the wheelbase like the Morphoz does. What’s more, this concept is capable of extracting its rear overhang from 4.40 meters to 4.80 meters long .
Morphoz modifications have a reason to be. Renault has thought that driving through the city is not the same as on the highway, an environment in which we could relax and enjoy a semi-autonomous journey. The shorter version, called City, has a 40 kWh capacity battery that powers the 110 kW (134 hp) motor . This variant offers 400 kilometers of autonomy, more than enough for day to day. If we want to make a longer journey, we can go to a specific station where they will add another 50 kWh battery. To be able to accommodate it, the body will be lengthened by about 40 centimeters and the assembly will be carried out at the bottom of the vehicle (Travel). With this extra we will have 90 kWh of capacity and 700 kilometers of autonomy . In its most elongated position, the Morphoz could reach a maximum power of 165 kW (215 hp).
Autonomous prototype
Electric propulsion seemed like a future issue just five years ago. The same will happen with autonomous driving, which today is limited to a few models and all the prototypes presented. The Renault Morphoz is not indifferent to this challenge and takes advantage of its modularity to improve aerodynamics and interior comfort depending on the version (City or Travel) . Despite being a vehicle equipped with autonomous driving, level 3 does not allow total independence from the control of the controls. Hence, I still have the steering wheel.
The passenger seat can be turned in the direction of the rear seats, a very typical position of the prototypes but with little future for those who suffer from motion sickness. The truth is that these futuristic models tend to lose much of their aesthetic grace in the process of becoming a production car. Elements that you can keep are the rear view mirrors replaced by cameras, a function that we have already seen in the Audi e-Tron models or the 22-inch faired wheels , which improve air resistance.
