Renault unveil plans for new France smart island

Groupe Renault have unveiled plans for a new smart city in France aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the region.

The aim of this smart electric eco-system is to facilitate the energy transition on the French island of Belle-Île-en-Mer.

Over the next year the automobile manufacturer and its partners will begin to develop a smart electric ecosystem to reduce the region’s carbon footprint and to increase its energy independence.

From 2019, the island and its visitors will have access to a fleet of electric cars which will be available on a self-service hire programme. The vehicles will be powered by charging stations located close to the island’s main attractions.

The new car sharing service will benefit from the surplus energy produced by solar panels installed on the roofs of the island’s main public buildings.

Gilles Normand, SVP of the Group Electric Vehicle Division at Renault, said: "The smart charging system will let us activate electric car charging whenever a building produces more energy than it actually needs.”

However, this isn’t Renault’s first smart island project. They have previously implemented a Smart Fossil Free island which has been operational since last year on a Portuguese island.

Mr Normand also explained how the smart city project could be scalable, he said: “It will be possible to carry over the Belle-Île-en-Mer system not just to other islands but also to cities and suburban areas.”

Renault announced earlier this year that they had committed to investing €1 billion to boost electric vehicle capacity in France.

Photo Credit: Groupe Renault