Alpine’s Electric Sports Cars to Feature In-Wheel Motors
Alpine is set to revolutionize its electric sports car lineup by incorporating in-wheel motors, a technology that promises to reduce weight and enhance performance. Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo confirmed that the upcoming electric A110 and A310 models will utilize this innovative approach.
The Alpine Performance Platform (APP) is designed to accommodate up to four separate models, including a sports car replacing the A110 next year. De Meo described the impact of this technology, saying, “It will change everything.” The use of in-wheel motors will allow for more interior space, whether for luggage, footwells, or seat adjustments, according to Renault Group design head Laurens van den Acker.
“With a motor in the wheels, you have more room for either luggage or footwells or for sliding your seat backwards or forwards,” van den Acker explained. “The A110 is fine for a weekend, but if you want to appeal to a bigger audience, you need more room.” However, this design choice has necessitated a slight widening of the car’s body.
Alpine plans to launch “three or four” models on the APP platform. These will include a two-seat coupé, a roadster, and a four-seat “sports sedan” called the A310, which will rival the Porsche Taycan. The in-wheel motors will enable Alpine to rethink battery placement, moving away from the traditional under-floor location that can limit sports car design.
The all-aluminium platform is expected to save between 150-250kg compared to equivalent electric sports cars. Renault will be the first to implement this technology in the limited-production Renault 5 Turbo 3E hyper hatchback next year, with its two rear-mounted in-wheel motors producing 3540 lb ft of wheel torque.
While in-wheel motors offer advantages like torque vectoring, they also present challenges such as increased unsprung weight and potential damage from road impacts. Despite these issues, suppliers like Protean and Yasa are actively developing this technology, with Protean predicting a €20 billion market by the mid-2020s.
Alpine’s adoption of in-wheel motors for its electric sports cars represents a significant step in the evolution of high-performance electric vehicles, potentially addressing some of the traditional weight and packaging challenges associated with EV design.
