If you’re a fan of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, the upcoming, rebornis the car for you. See, the Scenic’s interior is lined with light-splitting materials that create an effect similar to that album’s cover art. But to prevent itself from being just another brick in the electric SUV wall, the Scenic is distinguished by being a hydrogen-powered range extender. In other words, it’s electrically powered, but not as we know it.
That futuristic set-up allows it to cover around 500 miles between top-ups – around 190 miles farther than rivals such as the pure electriccan manage. That’s thanks to the Scenic’s combination of a 40kWh battery and a 15kW hydrogen fuel cell; the latter generates electricity to keep the batteries topped up on the move.
Renault hasn’t clarified how far the Scenic can go on battery power when the hydrogen tank is empty, but the smallercan cover 186 miles between recharges with a battery of the same size. Cheaper versions without the fuel cell will also be available. The 40kWh battery will remain in the entry-level car, but the 60kWh unit from the Mégane is also likely to be offered, yielding a range of around 280 miles. Regardless of which one you go for, power is provided by a 215bhp electric motor.
From the outside, the Scenic Vision concept car is striking, with angular creases and triangular motifs throughout. At 4.5m long, 1.9m wide and 1.59m tall, its footprint is comparable with that of