Renault to Overhaul Software Architecture Ahead of Goal to Be on Par With Tesla by 2026

Renault cars will have just 20 processors on board to operate the vehicle, down from the currently required 100 processors.

By Reuters | Updated: 25 April 2023 16:34 IST

Renault to Overhaul Software Architecture Ahead of Goal to Be on Par With Tesla by 2026

Photo Credit: Renault

In France, list price of Tesla Model 3 now starts at the same level as Renault Mégane electric (above)

Highlights

Renault has been living for months under threat of price cuts from Tesla
The architecture would improve the resale value of the cars
Renault will develop "Ampere" with Alphabet's Google and Qualcomm

Renault on Monday detailed the new software architecture of its future vehicles which it said will be on par by 2026 with that of electric-vehicle industry leader Tesla.

The French carmaker, like most automakers, has been living for months under the threat of regular and drastic price cuts from its US-based competitor. In France, the list price of the Tesla Model 3 now starts at the same level as the Renault Mégane electric, around EUR 42,000 (roughly Rs. 37,94,988).

Though Renault's CEO, Luca de Meo, acknowledged at a presentation that Tesla remains a "challenge in the short term," he said his company will not engage in a price war on electric vehicles.

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"We don't want to do what we did in the past, we want to sell our cars, we don't want to give away our cars," Renault's head of engineering, Gilles Le Borgne, said to journalists and analysts at the same event.

A "software-defined vehicle" design will be at the heart of Renault's future electric-vehicle entity, "Ampere," the French automaker said. Developed with Alphabet's Google and Qualcomm, it will considerably reduce complexity by allowing to have just 20 processors on board to run a car instead of the currently required one hundred.

This will also allow for updates to be made remotely without touching the hardware.

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"This is similar with Tesla, in 2026 they are going to have the same approach, they have the same EV architecture approach," said Renault's chief digital officer, Frédéric Vincent.

"In 2026, we will be at the level of Tesla" in software defined vehicles," le Borgne added.

By making constant updates of driving and infotainment features possible, the architecture should improve the resale value of the cars, supporting the pricing power of the company, and avoid EUR 1.5 billion (roughly Rs. 13,547 crore) of Research & Development (R&D) expenses in a decade.

The total cost balance should nevertheless be neutral after taking into account the investment required for the new architecture and the price of the more advanced processors put aboard, Le Borgne said.

The "Flexevan" electric van program for last-mile delivery will inaugurate Renault's new architecture around mid-2026, followed by the sporty Alpine brand and then by all models of the Renault brand.

Xiaomi launched its camera focussed flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra smartphone, while Apple opened it's first stores in India this week. We discuss these developments, as well as other reports on smartphone-related rumours and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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