Renault Group closes out 2025 with a new EV efficiency record

First shown earlier this year as a styling concept, the Renault Filante Record 2025 technology demonstrator has been continually developed to prove that it’s got more than racy looks going for it. The concept drove more than 1,000 km in less than 10 hours, proving that extreme efficiency is possible at highway speeds.Unlike Chevrolet’s extreme hypermiling adventure that saw a Silverado EV cover more than 1,000 miles on a single charge by taking advantage of electric motors’ innate low-rpm efficiency, Renault’s Filante Record 2025 averaged 102 km/h (~64 mph) across nearly 630 miles of real-world driving, finishing the test with more than 11% left in the fully production, Renault Scenic E-Tech-sourced 87 kWh battery pack.But, while the speeds were “normal” and the battery was a production-ready unit, that doesn’t mean the Filante Record 2025 is ordinary. The car was engineered with Formula 1-level materials and production methods to be as lightweight and aerodynamically slippery as possible.“The overarching goal, from the first sketches to the final test-track drive, was absolute efficiency. That’s the hallmark of a record-breaking car – and it mirrors Renault’s pioneering spirit and tradition since its inception in 1898,” explains Sandeep Bhambra, Chief Designer Advanced at Renault. “This accomplishment took a lot of exacting work on several fronts – ultra-efficient aerodynamics of course, the low-rolling-resistance tires, the lightweight materials (including carbon fiber and 3D-printed aluminum components) and advanced technical features (steer-by-wire for instance). Teams of experts from Renault and its partners Michelin and Ligier worked on every aspect of Filante Record 2025’s design to demonstrate that electric vehicles can now travel long distances without recharging, even at sustained speeds.”