Renault Group EVs must offer software solutions no less sophisticated and functional than those of Tesla Inc. cars by the year 2026, company CEO Luca de Meo said in his interview with Automotive News Europe. By that time, the automaker hopes to design a new EV architecture no less functional than the competing designs from Elon Musk.
For a few months now, Renault has been finding itself cornered and forced to respond to an electric vehicle price war started by Tesla. The French carmaker reckons that it will be able to avoid giving large discounts on its cars if it manages to develop quality software.
According to the executives of Renault Group, which is a partner of Google and Qualcomm, next-generation EVs will only need as few as 20 processing units on board instead of the current 100. They will go on sale under the banner of Renault’s all-electric sub-brand, Ampere.
Focusing on software quality should be enough to save an estimated €1.5 billion in research and development costs. Given than the company plans to switch its entire vehicle range to electric power, including even the Alpine sports car range, such a decision looks sound.