Renault has taken the wraps off SYMBIOZ, an integrated house and car that work together in harmony. SYMBIOZ extends the vision of autonomous, electric and connected cars to a time when vehicles fully interact with connected homes, cities, other vehicles and road infrastructure and becomes even more personal in the travel, energy and entertainment preferences of people who use them. The revelation of a concept car associated with a connected home is unprecedented at a motor show. SYMBIOZ demonstrates dynamic scenarios where the car is put to use in different places within and around the home and while traveling.
“The way we use our cars is changing. Already a car is more than just a way to get from one place to another. Full of technology, it’s becoming an interactive and personalized space that connects passengers to other cars, people, and objects around them,” said Groupe Renault Executive Vice President and Chief Competitive Officer Thierry Bolloré. “Looking to 2030 we imagine new scenarios with more efficient energy use, connectivity and autonomous driving scenarios that will improve how we live and travel.”
The Renault SYMBIOZ concept is powered by all-electric motors in line with Renault’s intent to continue to pursue its Zero Emissions strategy. Renault, the European leader in electric vehicles, developed SYMBIOZ to ensure the home and car share energy. Kilowatt-hours are distributed through a smart grid shared by the car and the home in an artificial intelligence environment that anticipates people’s needs. For example, it’s possible to program the system to use the power stored in the car batteries temporarily for the lights, screens and home appliances during peak times. If there is a blackout, this happens automatically and power sharing can be monitored and adjusted.
At the 2017 Frankfurt International Motor Show, Renault showed the house and concept in static and dynamic modes. In the first scenario, SYMBIOZ drives into the house to become an additional, modular room in the form of a useful, mobile and connected space, parking inside and then outside the physical structure.
SYMBIOZ also shows Renault’s vision of the car as an extension of the home when traveling. Generous cabin space is attributed to SYMBIOZ’s rear-wheel drive configuration, with two electric motors located on the rear axle, and the batteries housed beneath the floor. The combination of the retracting dashboard and pivoting front seats make it ideally suited to ‘Mind-off’ autonomous driving. In this mode, drivers can easily relax and chat, read a book or enjoy total access to their personal digital world. Additional personalization technology allows automatic detection of passengers, customized seat settings, music streaming, and entertainment options.
“After an initial series of concept cars based on Renault’s ‘Cycle of Life’ design strategy which sought to prefigure the styling of our upcoming models, our new concept cars set out to explore what mobility might resemble in the future,” said Renault SVP Corporate Design Laurens van den Acker. “No longer can we think of car design in isolation from the ecosystem surrounding us. Renault SYMBIOZ truly is a unique project that allowed us to work with planners, designers, engineers and architects. Our goal was to explore new boundaries in customer experience, technology, energy use and design harmony to form a completely new global experience.”
all images and video courtesy of Renault