- Designed to support an electrical ecosystem with vehicle-network technology and charge by conduction
- Artificial intelligence creates a spacious, connected cabin focused on passenger well-being
- Intelligent, modular and crossover vehicle designed for a shared electric future
- Presents Renault’s innovative vision for sustainable mobility for all beyond 2025
- Developed on the new CMF-EV platform announcing a new family of Renault electric models
- Ability to adapt physically and technologically between two modes according to the driver’s needs
- Blends the attributes of a sedan, an SUV and a coupe in a unique design optimized for efficiency and ease
- Equipped with level 3 autonomy to improve the safety of passengers, pedestrians and cyclists
The MORPHOZ concept is Renault’s vision of personal and shareable electric mobility of the future. The intelligent and modular crossover vehicle is able to adapt physically and technologically, whether it is used for a short trip, a trip to stores or a longer trip. The vehicle is capable of recognizing and welcoming the driver, but it is fully shareable and has a number of autonomous technologies for improved convenience and safety.
Building on the Alliance’s new 100% electric CMF-EV modular platform, it offers a number of different configurations for power, capacity and range, as well as user options and boot space. . The concept is faithful to the DNA of the brand embodying the design strategy of Renault Family Petal and announces a new family of electric models in the coming years.
The Renault MORPHOZ concept represents the evolution of technology, society, the environment and human behavior. It is a key element of several transformational ecosystems which place sharing as a fundamental principle. The Renault Group is already strongly committed to supporting the mobility revolution with products, services and solutions. Its strategy is to become a supplier of intelligent mobility solutions for the cities and regions of the future.
The electrical ecosystem
The electric vehicle plays a major role in the energy transition as part of a smarter and increasingly complete electric ecosystem. So much so that this role now extends beyond the driving point and the domestic load point. The Porto Santo experimental ecosystem is an example.
Naturally, the batteries are at the center of this operation. Groupe Renault is already focusing its efforts on developing a second life for its batteries, such as in the Advanced Battery Storage project or the Black Swan electric boat. With the MORPHOZ concept, he is now looking into another field: dual use of batteries.
When not used for driving, the MORPHOZ batteries remain in the car but can power domestic or local devices via intelligent charging devices and bidirectional V2G (Vehicle to Grid) technology. The batteries used in extended travel mode are removed from the vehicle and stored in a charging station for use in other vehicles or to power equipment such as self-service bicycle charging stations or public lighting.
Renault believes that it has a key role and responsibility to do everything to reduce the carbon footprint of vehicles and other technological solutions. With the MORPHOZ and its battery sharing system, it is not necessary to produce batteries with a nominal capacity of 90 kWh for each vehicle. Limiting production is good for the carbon footprint and the environment.
The family ecosystem and new neighborhood
The MORPHOZ embodies the Me / We concept, which says that what is a person can be shared. He questions the idea that the car is private and rather encourages shared use. It meets all the family’s requirements, which means they don’t have to buy a second or even a third vehicle when it’s not needed or the need for a larger vehicle for occasional reasons.
It meets the needs of new types of communities which are developing around digital infrastructures, regenerative resources and social well-being. As a unique vehicle that can also serve common well-being, it is suitable for new lifestyles in these urban communities, such as the tendency to cohabit in housing.
The sharing capacities of MORPHOZ are at the heart of this philosophy, with the removal of keys and departure cards. He also anticipates a regulation which will soon insist on carpooling for all cars. Everything is accessible via the smartphone, which works like a digital key. This makes it easier to share with other people without having to exchange keys, instead, drivers are given an unlock code that allows the driver to access and use the vehicle for a predetermined period of time.
The Smart City ecosystem
Symbol of the Renault Group vision on electric mobility in the years after 2025, MORPHOZ is a key element of the transformation towards smart cities, where connected technologies, smart and open data, IoT devices, smart networks, new materials and clean energy can be used to design and build a positive future.
MORPHOZ’s level 3 driving autonomy improves everyone’s safety by eliminating human errors behind almost 90% of road accidents *. Its sensors also detect pedestrians and cyclists, actively alerting them in manual mode, in order to avoid accidents.
Its electric powertrain helps improve air quality and means it can be used in areas prohibited to ICE vehicles. The shorter City version is ideal for city traffic, with a smaller footprint and less extensive vehicle installations.
With its system of battery stations, it can play a role in creating energy self-sufficiency in the city’s districts. Unused batteries deposited in stations can power infrastructure, buildings and services. They store renewable energy and help mitigate peaks in demand by sending it back when needed. This battery sharing also means less production.
* BCG 2016 figures
Connectivity and artificial intelligence
For more than 120 years, Renault has placed people at the center of its philosophies when designing and developing its vehicles. This objective underlines the desire of the brand to support its customers throughout their aspirations and their needs throughout life, leading to the creation of real family cars like the R16, the Clio and the Captur.
With the MORPHOZ concept, this philosophy is essential, going even further, because everything on board revolves around passenger and human interactions. Artificial intelligence (AI), connectivity and other intelligent features combine to immerse the driver and passengers in a welcoming and calm environment.
AI works before anyone even enters the vehicle, using its sensors to detect and recognize the approaching driver. It activates a light sequence on the doors to indicate recognition. The driver simply acts to activate the welcome sequence, which unlocks and opens the doors, automatically positions the seat and adjusts the interior lighting to suit the driver’s preferences and mood. The driver also hears the welcoming voice of the AI. The cabin is crossed by an elevated central console which represents the brain of MORPHOZ. There is a special holder for the driver’s smartphone, which is then lured into the wooden panel of the console to serve as the main data source. The AI will then use, if authorized, the data and information from the smartphone to perform its tasks.
AI allows the driver to see the surroundings by processing real-time data from external sensors and images from the vehicle’s cameras, in particular the set that replaces the exterior mirrors. Illuminated displays on interior doors and windows indicate the presence of a pedestrian or cyclist in the blind spot.
Acting as a virtual personal assistant, AI on the fly can be managed in three ways: by touching screens and the console, by hand gestures or by voice. In City mode, for daily trips, it transforms the driver’s diary into an efficient journey by optimizing the route and the time between appointments. In travel mode, on the way to a holiday, for example, it suggests points of interest while taking into account the desired arrival time and remaining autonomy, such as the electric route plan on the application MY Renault for Renault electric vehicles. In both cases, the large screen of the dashboard offers a 3D display of the journey.
On board the MORPHOZ, the driver and passenger smartphones are automatically detected and each person can continue to listen to their favorite music relayed via the seat speakers. A planned trip home will be automatically retrieved by the navigation system, which will send a route of the last distance to be traveled to the driver’s smartphone once the vehicle is parked near the destination. The Renault MORPHOZ will need an authorization to use the data on the smartphone to guarantee the confidentiality of any person who rides or uses the sharing functions in the car.
The social role of AI on board is clear thanks to the shared screen located between the seats of the center console. This is where passengers can scroll through the music library on one of their smartphones or where they can play video games against each other. This screen also allows users to control the comfort of the cab via the MULTI SENSE parameters.
AI doesn’t wait for passengers to act before making suggestions. It is able to offer a travel playlist adapted to the mood and preferences of each occupant and adapts to the situation using practical information, such as the diary of each person, and detects opportunities according to preferences and tastes.
A dedicated and adaptable electrical platform
Like the CMF-B platform launched last year on the all-new Clio and used on the all-new Captur, the CMF-EV enables engineers to design, build, adjust and refine electric vehicles more efficiently.
The innovative architecture is characterized by a long wheelbase with wheels at the corners of the vehicle, reduced overhangs and a flat floor, all combined to create a radical and striking appearance. A streamlined battery means the vehicle can be designed closer to the ground and with a lower roof to improve aerodynamic performance. The combination of chassis and structure CMF-EV is optimized for dynamic driving with batteries located under the floor at the rear, ensuring a low center of gravity.
A short hood translates into a longer cabin and offers an elegant design while the onboard experience is further enhanced by the unique interior. The position of the electric powertrain means that the dashboard can be streamlined and pushed forward to free up storage space and extra space for passengers, especially the legroom for rear passengers . Without a transmission tunnel, the flat floor allows even more legroom.
This configurable concept can be transformed into two different modes: from the shorter City form to the longer Travel version. It is fully adaptable to meet the needs of drivers and passengers, with the City mode equipped with the right battery capacity for daily trips or shopping, while in Travel it is able to accommodate the additional capacity needed for long distance journeys.
The City version is 4.40 m long with a wheelbase of 2.73 m, a record for the length of the vehicle, while remaining light and economical. A 40 kWh battery is fitted as standard, with a range of up to 249 miles, more than enough for daily use in urban and suburban areas.
In this configuration, the MORPHOZ has a specific light signature, which includes additional LED segments. Its style is more striking, with a short hood, sculpted bumpers and a short overhang that pushes the wheels when cornering, demonstrating the agility of an electric city car. At the same time, the experience on board corresponds to a vehicle generally found in the luxury segment.
The Travel version is 4.80 m long with a proportionately longer wheelbase at 2.93 m, which allows it to accommodate additional battery capacity and provide a spacious interior. There is more legroom for passengers, as well as enough space for two additional suitcases, while the design is further optimized with a specific tapered front end and profile helping to improve aerodynamic performance.
The Travel Extender battery pack offers an additional 50 kWh of power, for a total capacity of 90 kWh and a total range of 435 miles, perfect for those who travel long distances. The vehicle deploys and converts to travel mode at a predetermined battery station where the vehicle’s wheel arch opens and additional batteries can be installed in seconds. Once back, the driver stops at a station to return the additional batteries and return to the original capacity of 40 kWh and to the smaller dimensions of the City configuration. The station then recharges the batteries while using them for additional purposes until they are needed by another vehicle, such as storing electricity from renewable energy sources or lighting infrastructure or of an adjacent building.
Adaptive cabin for driver and passengers
When approaching the driver, the Renault MORPHOZ concept runs a light sequence to show that the driver has been detected and recognized. One wave is enough to unlock it and open its doors. The inverted hinged opening combined with the absence of a B-pillar facilitates passenger access to the cabin. Like the bodywork, the cabin can be transformed to adapt to the requirements of all occupants.
The MORPHOZ concept includes a futuristic steering wheel, with a 10.2-inch screen in its center displaying the main driving and safety information, allowing the surround dashboard to be free of dashboard and multimedia screens. However, at the request of the driver, in manual driving mode or in autonomous mode, the dashboard unfolds smoothly from the dashboard in view, presenting a single large L-shaped screen with driving and multimedia information.
While the driver remains facing the road at all times, the MORPHOZ has a unique system to allow all other passengers to interact during a journey. A sharing mode allows passengers to sit face to face to talk or share an activity. To do this, the symmetrical front passenger seat turns completely to face the rear. Passengers can then use the center console with crossed compartments and the screen to access the media of their choice.
The adaptable seat function is present throughout the cabin. When the MORPHOZ switches from City mode to Travel mode, the rear passenger seats automatically move back to take advantage of the additional space. This gives passengers more leg room and makes it easier for them to sit on an armchair-shaped seat around a table, where the center console screen which is shared in the cabin plays the role. of the table.
Level 3 autonomy
The Renault MORPHOZ concept is equipped with level 3 autonomous driving. Advanced technologies allow the driver to release the steering wheel and the transfer control from the vehicle to the autonomous system in a certain number of defined situations and on authorized roads, such as motorways or in traffic jams.
The technology is capable of keeping a controlled distance from the vehicle in front of you, staying in the lane when cornering, changing lanes to overtake and moving in congestion. The system still requires the driver to be able to regain control in seconds in the event of potential hazards or when the vehicle’s sensors are no longer able to read the road course correctly, for example in bad weather or in the absence of road marking.
With Level 3 autonomous systems, the driver is free to take their hands off the steering wheel and their eyes off the road once the vehicle has taken control. However, they cannot use any screen, such as a tablet or smartphone, other than those directly in front of them for other activities; like dictating an email or reading.
Renault currently offers the Highway and Traffic Jam Companion on its most recent vehicles (All-New Clio, All-New Captur, New Mégane). This is combined with adaptive cruise control (with Stop 039;Go) and the centering of the tracks to provide level 2 autonomy. As soon as the regulations allow and technological developments will allow level 3 to be widely used, the Renault models will be equipped with the corresponding technology. At the same time, these existing driving aids will be improved, in particular with the addition of connectivity to other vehicles and infrastructures in order to advance predictive functionality, as demonstrated by SYMBIOZ in 2017.
Electrical design with efficiency and personality
In Travel and City modes, the MORPHOZ combines the attributes of a sedan, an SUV and a coupe. This unique blend of styles is made possible by the use of the brand new modular platform CMF-EV specially designed for its electric powertrain. The body has an elegant metallic Ivory Gold finish and Electric Electric details that contrast with the glossy black of the interior.
The concept provides for a specific light signature that will be used on future electric vehicles with the distinctive Renault C-Shape lighting enlarged to extend over the entire bumper. Its adaptability means that the lighting looks different in city mode and in travel mode, while the front fenders are decorated with a backlit badge that displays the name of the vehicle in travel mode. Since the electric powertrain does not require the same level of cooling as an ICE, the radiator grille is closed and the size of the air intakes on the bumper is reduced in Travel mode for greater aerodynamic efficiency. The hood has two high-tech vents to cool the main MORPHOZ computers, which are grouped around the powertrain.
The wheels combine diamond-effect wheels and hubcaps that partially cover the sidewalls of 22-inch tires, to give the wheel assembly a more fluid design. The wide and fully closed wheels improve aerodynamic flow and improve efficiency. The tires are optimized to reduce rolling resistance.
In City mode, the MORPHOZ has a thin front fender, but when Travel mode is selected, the vertical section expands as the body and wheelbase get longer. Its main role is to display the on-board battery capacity counter, but its black and yellow finish also distinguishes it from the rest of the body. Symbol of the increased range and power of the vehicle, this new design feature will appear in the future on certain Renault electric vehicles. The design is a nod to the recognition of Renault’s history, a reminder of the side ventilation grilles that appeared on several models between 1910 and 1920, like the Type DG, which did not need ventilation via the panel before – similar to electric cars today.
Moving across the concept side, the quarter tail pillar is symbolic of how the MORPHOZ is able to change its shape in both versions. In City mode, it’s an elegant combination of yellow and black lines, like on the dashboard, but these lines are actually two separate surfaces that become apparent in Travel mode when the vehicle is extended. the active body will move the rear fenders, like the side flaps of a fighter, a few centimeters to allow the chassis to slide when the vehicle switches from one mode to another, while maintaining the continuity of the surface. The slender tail lights create a shimmering effect and form a whole strip to give the MORPHOZ a wider and more assertive presence. Like the SYMBIOZ 2017 concept, the high-level vertical brake light is suspended from the roof spoiler blade where its graphic finish is found on the rear fog light under the bumper.
When the Renault MORPHOZ is in City mode, the trunk is pulled out to reduce the overhang and facilitate driving and parking in the city. It becomes stretched and more aerodynamic in travel mode and when the change occurs, the engraved name of the vehicle appears on the bumper. Two air deflectors extend the flat bottom at the rear and these active components are able to adapt to the ride height for maximum efficiency at all times.
Instead of exterior mirrors, the Renault MORPHOZ is equipped with HD digital cameras. The images they provide are projected onto interior screens and used as inputs for artificial intelligence, which combines them with data from external sensors to warn the driver of potential dangers.
In the city and beyond: unrestricted electric mobility
Groupe Renault has unrivaled expertise in all electric vehicles, eight of which it has launched in the past 10 years, including the ZOE, Twizy and all-electric versions of the Kangoo and Master LCVs. In its vision of sustainable mobility for all, the Renault Group undertakes to offer models with dimensions, weight, power and autonomy adapted to all uses to meet all the requirements of customers without restriction, in town as elsewhere. of the.
This commitment is at the heart of the MORPHOZ concept, which marks a new family of Renault electric models in the future; vehicles that can be equipped with several battery capacities, the latest technologies to optimize the energy efficiency of batteries and engines, which benefit from structural and performance improvements in charging systems and will be equipped with connected services to optimize journeys and charging process. Inductive charging allows MORPHOZ to be charged without the need for cables at a specific location (at home or in a public car park) or while driving on sections of road equipped with technology.
Sustainable mobility for all
Expanding the availability and the possibility of owning and using these electric vehicles is essential and goes beyond simple transportation, but includes habits, technologies and applications. Changes are driven by innovation, regulatory changes from public authorities (e.g. CO2 reductions in new vehicles and restriction of ICE vehicles in city centers) and consumers’ choice to adopt new modes of transport.
While the mobility revolution is a cleaner revolution with the advent of electric powertrains, zero emission vehicles * are only part of the story, sitting at the heart of an electrical ecosystem that includes batteries and infrastructures. Renault has known this for a long time and has made a strategic proposal before everyone else.
Even if Renault still believes that the private car has a future, it recognizes that it will have to support new forms of ownership and sharing, for the benefit of family, friends and the neighborhood, and in support of a vision. more user-friendly overall for both people and the planet.
Finally, it is a revolution in human geography. In a few years, 70% of the world’s population will live in cities. These are reinvented in Smart Cities, with new concepts of urban life around the pillars formed by infrastructure, digital tools and low-carbon energies. The Smart Cities ecosystem even extends to the concept of the urban community of the future.
MORPHOZ is located at the heart of these different ecosystems, for a more sustainable, more shared and more inclusive vision of mobility.
* zero emissions in use: no CO2 emissions, no air pollutants checked while driving, excluding wearing parts
The spirit of Renault
Many components of the Renault MORPHOZ cabin reflect Renault’s Easy Life philosophy, as well as its past and its future.
The clear glass with light lines, which forms the interior part of the futuristic steering wheel, houses tactile control buttons with haptic feedback and allows the driver to access the MULTI SENSE parameters. The floating dashboard extends around the front of the cabin to the door inserts to surround the occupants. Thanks to the CMF-EV platform, it is closer to the windshield and narrower than a traditional dashboard, which means more space for the driver and front passenger. This additional space allows the front passenger seat to rotate and allows the front occupant to sit facing the rear passengers in Sharing mode. This feature is part of the previous models and appeared on the first generation Espace in the 1980s.
The greater feeling of space is further improved by the driving mode selection lever usually found on an electric vehicle and replaced by four touch buttons (P, R, N and D) at the head of the console. . Digital dashboard consisting of an L-shaped OLED screen, similar to the TreZor and SYMBIOZ concept cars, completes the front occupant space and displays driving, navigation and entertainment information across its entire width of 800 mm . The apparent movement of the yellow and black lines on the Renault MORPHOZ dashboard recalls the OpArt world of the painter Victor Vasarely, who has produced 40 works in collaboration with Renault.
Like the all-new fabric for ZOE seats, the cabin of the Renault MORPHOZ uses a selection of recycled materials: wood for the dashboard, plastic for the interior doors and fabric for the seats. They were designed and manufactured by socially responsible companies such as Aggebo 039;Henriksen (Denmark), Gudbrandsdalens Uldvarefabrik AS (Norway) and Plasticiet (Holland).
