Renault has unveiled the Captur E-Tech Plug-in PHEV and the Clio E-Tech hybrid, half a year on from the debut of the current Captur and almost a full year since the current Clio was launched.
The Captur E-Tech Plug-in is powered by a 1.6 litre petrol engine and two electric motors in a series-parallel configuration, producing a peak power figure of 160 hp from a 9.8 kWh battery pack on a 400 V system, which is sent to a dog-clutch direct transmission gearbox.
The Captur E-Tech PHEV can be driven purely on electricity for 50 km on the WLTP cycle with a maximum of 135 km/h, and up to 65 km in urban use on the WLTP City cycle. Rated fuel consumption is 1.5 l/100 km and 32 g/km of CO2 emissions on the combined cycle.
The Captur E-Tech employs powertrain and battery management dubbed Multi-Sense, which is accessed through the infotainment screen or via a dedicated button. In Pure mode, the powertrain is locked into using battery power exclusively for as long as there is sufficient battery charge.
In E-Save mode, the system limits battery usage and emphasises internal combustion engine usage, in order to save battery charge for driving into emissions-limited city centres, for example. In Sport mode, the internal combustion engine and both electric motors are summoned together for maximum output, which can be used for overtaking.
Interior accommodation is unchanged from internal combustion versions of the Captur, says Renault, with the rear seats still capable of sliding along a range of 160 mm. In the luggage compartment, a hinged false floor enables the storage of the Captur E-Tech Plug-in’s charging cables without encroaching upon its boot volume.
Inside, the Captur E-Tech features a 10.2 inch instrumentation display and a 9.3 inch Easy Link infotainment display. The Captur E-Tech’s instrumentation can be configured to display battery life, recharge times, electricity flow exchanges, energy recovery and current charge levels.
As with its crossover sibling the Captur, the Clio gets unique exterior and interior treatments to differentiate it from the internal combustion engined variants; here, the E-Tech hybrid gets unique front and rear bumpers, while ‘E-Tech Hybrid’ badges denote its electrified powertrain.
The Clio E-Tech’s interior features the Smart Cockpit layout which is comprised of a seven-inch TFT instrument cluster and an Easy Link infotainment screen. Here, the Clio E-Tech displays hybrid-specific graphics, indicating battery levels when charging or when the electric drive motor is in use.
Like the Renault Captur E-Tech Plug-in, the Clio E-Tech is also powered by a 1.6 litre naturally aspirated engine with a high-voltage starter-generator and a larger electric drive motor paired with a multi-mode clutchless gearbox, though the Clio E-Tech gets a smaller rear-mounted 1.2 kWh battery on a 230 V architecture, and yields a total system output of 140 hp.
In this hybrid guise, the Clio gains no more than 10 kg compared to the dCi 115-engined variant, says Renault; if the Clio E-Tech is driven on city roads 80% of the time in pure electric mode, this yields fuel savings of up to 40% compared to an internal combustion engine of a similar size on the urban cycle, the company said. The Clio E-Tech can travel at speeds of up to 75 km/h in fully electric mode.
2020 Renault Captur E-Tech Plug-in
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