Renault invests further in mobility

15 May 2019

Groupe Renault has partnered with the University of Paris-Saclay on the Paris-Saclay Autonomous Lab, aiming to research and develop mobility services.

′Mobility boosts the area’s attractiveness and thus its economic development.’

The lab will mainly focus on setting up an autonomous transport system – complete with autonomous vehicles, supervision systems, connected infrastructures and customer applications. The tests will be used to demonstrate scalable mobility services.

The mobility test will implement three Renault ZOE Cab prototype cars and a Transdev-Lohr i-Cristal shuttle in the Paris-Saclay area. The vehicles will be used to demo ride-hailing services, allowing users to be picked up and dropped off autonomously.

Michel Bournat, President of the Paris-Saclay urban community and Mayor of Gif-sur-Yvette, said: ′Mobility is a major goal for Paris-Saclay. Mobility boosts the area’s attractiveness and thus its economic development; it improves quality of life for all those who live and work here, and it helps drive environmental action.’

In a parallel initiative, PSA Group has partnered with the University of Orléans this month. The partnership is similarly aimed at development of mobility and autonomous technologies.

Charging forward

Renault has also partnered with French shopping centre operator Klépierre in an attempt to provide more charging stations, electric vehicles and a car sharing service.

The partnership will see Renault install multiple charging points at shopping centres in Val d’Europe (Paris region), Blagnac (Toulouse) and Bègles Rives d’Arcin (Bordeaux). Renault has committed to equipping 100% of Klépierre’s shopping centres with charging points by 2022.

Its mobility service will allow users to reserve charging spots and will operate alongside Renault’s Moov’in.Paris scheme – a short-term car rental service.

′Thanks to partnerships like the one we are forging with Klépierre today, we are pursuing our strategy of going beyond simple vehicles to offer a form of mobility that is easy to live with, accessible and sustainable and which heralds tomorrow’s mobility,’ stated Gilles Normand, Senior Vice President, Electric Vehicle of Groupe Renault.