Renault subsidiary refurbishes electric motors
The Future is Neutral, a joint venture between Renault and environmental service provider Suez, is presenting its circular economy model for automotive manufacturers and suppliers at Automechanika in Frankfurt/Main this week. This includes a new offering for the refurbishment of electric motors.
The Renault Group established a company dedicated exclusively to the circular economy, The Future is Neutral, in 2022, with the aim of becoming “Europe’s leading player in the automotive circular economy by 2030”. In October 2024, Renault further strengthened its expertise and capital by bringing on board Suez, a specialist in waste management and recycling, which acquired a 20 per cent stake.
Since then, The Future is Neutral has significantly expanded its offerings that will be presented at Automechanika in Frankfurt/Main (8 to 12 September 2026), the world’s leading trade fair for the automotive aftermarket. Renault’s subsidiary is highlighting a new offering from its division, The Remakers, which specialises in the remanufacturing of automotive components. In other words, discarded components — such as those from decommissioned vehicles — are not sent for recycling but instead refurbished for a second life.
Refurbishment of Renault electric motors
The Remakers is showcasing its new industrial refurbishment offering for Renault’s 6AM electric motor at Automechanika. This is an electrically excited synchronous machine (SSM) that does not use rare earth materials (magnet-free) and is available in various power ratings. It is used, among others, in the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric and the Renault Scenic E-Tech Electric.
Thanks to refurbishment, these Renault electric motors can be returned to the market with performance and reliability equivalent to new motors, at approximately 30 per cent lower cost, and with a simultaneous reduction in environmental impact, as the company states.
The Remakers is thus consolidating its role as a provider of refurbishment services and expanding its range of refurbished components for electric vehicles, which already includes the 5A electric motor (known from the Renault Zoe and Renault Kangoo Z.E.) and the Power Electronic Controller.
The French automotive supplier will also present a new study at Automechanika that examines life cycle assessments of eight representative product families of refurbished components from its portfolio. The consulting firm Quantis analysed the products’ impact on climate change, resource consumption (minerals and metals), acidification, freshwater eutrophication, and photochemical ozone formation.
One of the study’s key findings is that, among the analysed product families, refurbished components for Renault electric vehicles offer the greatest environmental benefits. This is primarily due to the high reuse rates of materials with significant environmental impact, such as copper and electronic components. Refurbished electric motors reduce environmental impact by at least 67 per cent across all five assessed indicators, while refurbished power electronics for electric vehicles reduce environmental impact by at least 47 per cent across all five assessed indicators.