Alpine A110 E-ternité: electric concept sports car from Renault!

Alpine celebrates the 60th anniversary of the legendary A110 with a visionary concept car to be unveiled at the Formula 1 French Grand Prix. The Alpine A110 E-ternité is the sports car brand's first electric car. The prototype is full of innovations and bridges the prestigious past to a 100 percent electric future.

Alpine A110 E-ternity

"I want to electrify Alpine to keep the name forever," said Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo shortly after joining the company. Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine, and the brand's engineers have accepted this challenge. The A110 E-ternité is a fully electric open sports car and sets a new benchmark for electric cars in this segment with its uncompromising lightweight construction and legendary dynamics.

The A110 E-ternité project gave the development team a clear direction for the future of the brand: the next Alpine vehicles are to be electrified. The visionary concept car marks the beginning. The Alpine A110 has always been a prime example of sportiness, known for its low weight and driving dynamics. Electrifying this vehicle with a realistic budget while retaining the typical positive characteristics was challenging. During the implementation, the team benefited from the experience and technologies of the Renault Group, which has been a pioneer in the field of electric vehicles for more than ten years.

Renault Group powertrain and battery modules

As a Renault Group brand, it was only natural to use the company's existing components and technologies for the A110 E-ternité. The battery modules are identical to those of the Mégane E-Tech Electric¹ . However, in order to achieve optimal weight distribution and to accommodate the twelve battery modules, it was necessary to develop special battery housings for the A110 and to adapt the vehicle architecture. Four modules were attached to the front and eight to the rear. Despite the twelve additional modules, the overall weight of the Alpine A110 E-ternité remains particularly low, only 258 kilograms higher than the standard version with a petrol engine.

A gearbox specially developed by Alpine

An innovative new transmission has been added to the group's standard engine. It should be smooth and efficient while being light and compact. Torque dips should be avoided. Since such a transmission did not yet exist, Alpine developed it together with its suppliers especially for the concept car. The result is a dual clutch (DCT) and electronically controlled solution like the production version of the A110, but with clutches designed for high torque.

The electronic system combines two technologies

When it came to the electronic system, the Alpine team showed particular ingenuity by combining two electronic architectures that are ten years apart. This innovation made it possible to retain the previous functions of the AS1 combustion engine while adding new functions from the field of electric vehicles, such as communication between two batteries. A common control unit ensures communication between the two systems. This combination brings new possibilities to simplify the electronic architectures and allows continuous optimization of the system throughout the product lifecycle.

A long-awaited open roof

The desire for an A110 with an open roof has been expressed for a long time. Alpine decided to take on this challenge alongside electrification with the concept car. The main difficulty was to integrate a removable roof into the structure of the Alpine A110. The engineers came up with a simple yet lightweight solution that maintains the rigidity of the A110: it consists of two roof shells made from recycled carbon.

Central screen and audio system

Alpine Engineering has made it a priority to develop a vehicle that is as beautiful as it is efficient. This should also be reflected in the cockpit. It offers a state-of-the-art audio system with eight speakers including a subwoofer, which creates a pleasant surround sound thanks to a central and two rear new speakers. An innovative multimedia system is also integrated, which uses the driver's personal tablet as a multimedia screen, giving the user his usual environment and apps. This solution offers an always up-to-date operating system in combination with the latest screen technologies.

Innovative materials

Some vehicle parts are made of flax. They are therefore particularly light and environmentally friendly. A second E-ternité concept car visibly demonstrates this new technology on the bonnet, roof, rear window, radiator grille, seat shells and rear apron. The material comes from the French company Terre de Lin. Flax is as strong as carbon fiber but has better acoustics. The same mold used to make the carbon or glass parts can be used for the flax components. A promising solution for the future.