At the Renault Technocentre near Paris, the upcoming pure electric Renault 5 is undergoing a conversion from study to production model in prototype production. The first vehicles to roll off the assembly line are being built at the northern French site in Douai in a top-secret mini-factory. The aim is to verify conformity in advance and to ensure the highest possible level of quality in a future manufacturing process.
Only authorized Renault employees have access to the large prototype production building at the Technocentre, and the use of mobile devices is strictly prohibited. The prototype center founded 25 years ago is unique. Renault is one of the few car manufacturers with a similar facility in which assembly procedures and processes are simulated as in a normal car manufacturing plant. By copying the processes in detail, the center can produce prototypes that are compatible with manufacturing processes in the future production chain. In this way it is possible to check the industrial assembly processes and adjust the production rhythm at all stages of construction.
Assembly of the first fully electric Renault 5 cars
A look behind the scenes
© Renault
The highest quality standards since the first day of production
Carefully aligned processes, tools and parts allow factory teams to focus primarily on increasing production. They are supported by specialists from the Prototype Center, who accompany the training of personnel. The prototype stage acts as a bridge between design concept and large-scale production, providing the opportunity to translate raw methods and digital data into tangible solutions that can be tested and validated. Gap dimensions down to a tenth of a millimeter are recorded in order to verify body panels and supplier parts. The entire software, connections and electronics are also extensively tested. The Technocentre’s proximity to the Renault 5 electric development teams allows questions to be answered quickly and directly on site.
In total, more than 60 cars will be produced in prototype production, which represent the future of the all-electric Renault 5. Vehicles are tested extensively over long distances, some under extreme conditions – in extreme cold and heat, in mountainous terrain, etc. The valuable results finally enable final tuning of the chain model.
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