Renault

Renault
Background
Based	Boulogne-Billancourt
Founded	1898
Founder	Unknown
Key People
Industry	Automobiles
Formula E Record
Début	2015 Beijing ePrix
Total Entries	34 (34 Starts)
Wins	Poles	FLs
16	13	9
Total Points	671 (956)
Former Team(s)	Unknown
Current Season
Team(s)	Renault e.Dams
Car	RENAULT Z.E.15

Groupe Renault, centred on French manufacturer Renault, are a car manufacturer based in Boulogne-Billancourt, whom have become a partner in the FIA Formula E Championship. Originally a partner of Spark Racing Technologies as a technical partner for the Spark-Renault SRT_01E, Renault have backed e.dams for the 2015/16 FIA Formula E Championship, building a new powertrain for them.

Background

Founded by French inovator Louis Renault, and brothers Marcel and Fernand, Société Renault Frères saw its first creation emerge in 1898, the Renault 1CV. Within five years, SRF began manufacturing their own engines, and by 1908 were the most popular foreign manufacturer in the United States, while also topping the sales lists at home. Adopting motorsport as a key advertising ploy, Renault were dominant in the first city-to-city races in Switzerland, and won the first ever Grand Prix in 1906, despite Marcel's death in 1903.

Wars and Wins

After spending time making military equipment during the First World War, Renault moved into the agricultural and industrial side of automobiles, although their road cars continued to be a success. After adopting the now familiar diamond logo in use to this day, in 1925, the company began experimenting with diesel engines, and by 1931, commercial vehicles built by Renault all featured a diesel heart. The Great Depression of 1936, which forced the bankruptcy of rival Citroën, took a while to affect Renault, with all but their automotive industries sold off.

Having been the target of the largest Royal Air Force air raid on a factory after the fall of France during the Second World War, Renault initially struggled to find its feet again, enduring months of political and social ill-ease. This soon passed however, and by the the 1980s, with a number of popular creations, and success in both Formula One and Rallying, Renault was key to the development of the modern day turbocharger as well as other innovations.

The Electric Era

After a brief spell under French state ownership (which still retains 20% of the group), Renault used a series of partnerships to boost its world image, with Nissan a key ally. Renault Sport, originally founded in the 1970s for 24 Hours of Le Mans and Formula One campaigns made a large scale return to motorsport in the 2000s, while the group continued to pour resources into Formula Renault, a key feeder series for almost all forms of international motorsport. From 2008, Renault began their "Z.E." ("Zero Emission") range of cars, initially as concept electric road cars, culminating in the 2011 release of the Renault Fluence Z.E. Since 2013, Renault has been the largest seller of electric vehicles in Europe, and hopes to use Formula E to further that dominance.

Formula E History

Renault officially announced their intention to participate in Formula E on the 15th of May 2013, joining sole manufacturer Spark Racing Technologies as a technical partner. Initially aiding Spark in the creation of the first Formula E racing car, the Spark-Renault SRT_01E, Renault also sponsored (and co-founded) the e.dams-Renault team before the start of the inaugural 2014/15 Formula E Championship. A successful debut season for the championship saw e.dams walk away with the Teams' Championship (and see Sébastien Buemi miss out on the Drivers' by just a single point).

Renault announced after the season finale that they would enter the championship as a manufacturer for the 2015/16 season, building a powertrain for e.dams.

Products

Renault, as a manufacturer, had their hands in the creation of the first Formula E racing car, the Spark-Renault SRT_01E for the inaugural season. Renault will also become an exclusive manufacturer for e.dams for season two, building a powertrain for them to compete with, using the original Spark designed chassis, as allowed in the rules.

Spark-Renault SRT_01E

Main Article: Spark-Renault SRT_01E

The Spark-Renault SRT_01E at the Geneva Motorshow.

The Spark-Renault SRT_01E was initially the creation of Spark Racing Technologies, along with chassis manufacturer Dallara, and the McLaren and Williams Formula One teams (providing components). Renault were announced as the technological partner for the series, providing aid in the linking and design of the electrical systems, based on their experience in the electric road car market. They would also co-found their own team, and use their blue and yellow racing colours in the series, before going on the become one of the first eight manufacturers for the Championship for season two.

RENAULT Z.E.15

Main Article: RENAULT Z.E.15.

For 2015/16, Renault built a powertrain exclusively for e.dams using the Spark chassis as determined by the regulations. Immediately demonstrated to be a front running car, the Z.E.15 also proved to be reliable at the 2015 Donington Test, completing an impressive tally of 353 laps over the six days.

References

Videos and Images:

• Smokeonthewater, 'Spark-Renault SRT 01 E (Formula E)', wikipedia.org, (WikiMedia, 10/09/2013), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-Renault_SRT_01E#mediaviewer/File:Spark-Renault_SRT_01_E_(Formula_E).JPG, (Accessed 09/07/2015)

References: