Renault has chosen a range of Goodyear tyres as original equipment fitments on the new Mégane E-Tech Electric. Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 is the summer fitment in size 195/60R18, while Renault has opted to equip the larger 215/45R20 specification with EfficientGrip Performance tyres. Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 is also available as an all-season option in both dimensions. This wide selection means that around three-quarters of Mégane E-Tech Electrics will leave the factory on Goodyear tyres.
Deliveries started in the first quarter of this year, with production beginning last November at Renault’s ElectriCity hub in Douai, France. The car is powered by an electric motor developed jointly within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Weighing only 145 kg, it produces either 96 kW (130 hp) or 160 kW (218 hp) depending on specification.
The car’s battery is the thinnest on the market at just 110 mm, allowing it to fit snugly to the CMF-EV platform, lowering the total height of the vehicle. It is available in two capacities: 40 kWh for a range of up to 300 km / 186 miles (WLTP) or 60 kWh for 470 km / 292 miles.
EDT & R markings
As is the case with the EfficientGrip Performance tyres that Goodyear supplies as original fitments to the Renault Captur and the Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 tyres worn by the Espace, the tyres that Goodyear produces for the Mégane E-Tech Electric feature an ‘R’ marking on the sidewall that denotes their selection and approval by the vehicle manufacturer. The tyres also carry Goodyear’s Electric Drive Technology (EDT) marking, a logo present on the sidewall of every Goodyear original equipment tyre designed for electric vehicles and indicating that the tyre includes a range of technologies to cater for the specific needs of that OEM’s electric vehicles.
Goodyear considers its EfficientGrip Performance the “ideal summer tyre for electric cars like the Mégane E-Tech” as it combines low rolling resistance, excellent wet grip and shorter braking distances to create an end result that provides performance and efficiency. The EfficientGrip Performance 2 “takes these credentials one step further” with developments to increase mileage and reduce braking distances even more. As an all-season fitment, Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 is “designed to perform at the highest level all year round,” and Goodyear states that the tyre’s wet, dry and snow performance is excellent.
EVs & Hybrids dominate OE approvals
“Our EfficientGrip Performance and Vector 4Seasons ranges are proven tyres that have been trusted by leading manufacturers as OE fitments, so we are delighted that Renault has selected them for its exciting new Mégane E-Tech Electric, too,” says Hans Vrijsen, managing director Consumer OE, Goodyear EMEA. “Goodyear tyres are the tyre of choice for a number of electric vehicles. In 2021 more than 80 per cent of our OE nomination wins were for EVs or Hybrids. We’ll continue working closely with leading manufacturers to help them develop the next generation of electric, ICE and hybrid vehicles.”
