electric car charging: Mobilize simplicity serves Renault 5 E-Tech electric

Its unique and emotional design is not its only asset. Renault 5 E-Tech electric is a perfect expression of the Renault Group’s multi-specialist strategy.

First and foremost, it proudly bears the Renault brand image and its innovations with human added value. Renault 5 E-Tech electric is intuitive and warm, comfortable, safe, connected, simple…

It also embodies the advanced technologies and competitive advantages developed by Ampere, the Renault Group entity specialising in electric vehicles and software. Its unique platform dedicated to small 100% electric vehicles and the strength of its European industrial ecosystem make the Renault 5 E-Tech electric a cutting-edge car, while allowing it to be sold at an affordable price.

Last but not least, this 100% electric model benefits from Mobilize’s expertise in electric recharging.

Mobilize offers a range of products and services that accelerate the transition to mobility that emits fewer greenhouse gases and consumes fewer natural resources. The cars designed by Renault Group brands rely on Mobilize to enhance their users’ experience. Renault 5 E-Tech electric is undoubtedly the most striking such example.

To plug in the Renault 5 E-Tech electric at home or in the office, Mobilize Power Solutions offers the installation of recharging points in private access areas. This is particularly true of the brand-new Mobilize PowerBox charging point, whose unexpected powers are described in more detail below.

At home, Mobilize Smart Charge offers an intelligent, low-cost recharging solution. It’s an application that controls vehicle charging to coincide with the times when electricity is most available on the grid, i.e. when it’s mainly low-carbon and cheap. This saves around 20% on the cost of electric charging.

As for recharging on the road or in the street, Mobilize Charge Pass makes it as easy as possible. A single card gives access to more than 600,000 public charging points in 25 European countries, with payment on recharging. What’s more, by activating Mobilize Charge Pass on the My Renault application, users can take advantage of the Mobilize Plug & Charge function at a large number of direct current (DC) charging points on fast lanes. With this truly “hands-free” mode, all you have to do is plug in Renault 5 E-Tech electric to start charging and secure invoicing, without having to take out a card or code.

The new Ampere platform dedicated to B-segment electric vehicles gives the Renault 5 E-Tech electric significant competitive advantages in terms of architecture and electrical and electronic innovations. This is particularly true of the vehicle’s on-board charger.

Renault 5 E-Tech electric is launching a new 11 kW bidirectional alternating current (AC) charger. Combined with the Mobilize PowerBox bi-directional charging point and the Mobilize electricity contract, it enables users to benefit from bi-directional charging. Part of the electricity stored in the vehicle’s battery can then be used to power an electrical appliance in the home, such as a barbecue or hoover. This is known as ‘V2L’ (vehicle-to-load). But the R5 goes even further: its charger is also compatible with the V2G (vehicle-to-grid) service, which allows the car to feed carbon-free electricity back into the grid. Thanks to this new charger, the Renault 5 E-Tech electric can not only charge at times when the supply of electricity is greater than demand on the grid, i.e. with the lowest carbon electricity possible, but also “charge the grid” when the supply of electricity is less than demand. In other words, the electric vehicle smoothes out peaks in supply and peaks in demand on the energy grid. The result? The intermittency of electricity production from renewable energy sources (solar, wind, etc.) is no longer an obstacle to their use! This will encourage the production of low-carbon electricity and improve the local energy mix.

The V2G system, pioneered on the Renault 5 E-Tech electric and set to become standard on all Renault Group vehicles, places the vehicle at the heart of the energy ecosystem. Using the different Mobilize services mentioned above, a Renault 5 E-Tech electric equipped with the bi-directional AC charger becomes a real lever for decarbonisation.

Mobilize is launching the Mobilize PowerBox charging point and its bidirectional version, called Mobilize PowerBox Verso. This innovation was designed in collaboration with teams from the Software République, a European collaborative ecosystem for safe and sustainable mobility, founded by several major companies including Renault Group. Manufactured in France, Verso develops power of up to 22 kW in alternating current (AC) and is compatible with all electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles.

Mobilize PowerBox Verso communicates with the Renault 5 E-Tech electric bi-directional charger and the cloud to – according to circumstances – either recharge the vehicle’s battery or send electricity back to the grid. Depending on the need to recharge the battery, domestic requirements and the incentives of the energy market and the public grid, Mobilize PowerBox Verso circulates the current between the car and the home, at the highest level of electrical safety, durability of the installations and the battery, and cyber security.

To take advantage of the two-way V2G (vehicle to grid) function, the Mobilize PowerBox Verso terminal must be associated with a specific electricity contract. Marketed by Mobilize, and designed in technological partnership with The Mobility House, this contract guarantees green electricity and enables the energy returned to the grid to be monetised thanks to the automated control of the bidirectional charge. On the one hand, users benefit from electricity at a rate that is as competitive as the reference market price, and on the other, they can earn income from the resale of the electricity. In France, for example, this income could cover up to 50% of the cost of home charging. The Mobilize V2G service will be available from the launch of the Renault 5 E-Tech electric in 2024 in France and Germany, and in 2025 in the UK.